Choosing a charity

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CadillacWoman - 14 Dec 2005 19:29 GMT

It's that time of year again, and I'm getting a lot of mail requesting
charitable contributions. I already regularly donate to two area
no-kill cat groups (one of my cats came from one of them). I also get a
lot of mail from the HSUS and the ASPCA. They both sound like wonderful
organizations, and I've given small donations to each in the past. Now,
rather than give them each a small donation, I'd prefer to give just
one larger donation. Does anyone have any feeling for which is the
better organization, or how I can find out?

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~*Connie*~ - 15 Dec 2005 03:07 GMT

I personally give to my local shelter. I too get a lot of mail from HSUS
and ASPCA, but the abundance of stuff they send me annoys me (cards, return
address stickers, stationary). Not that I don't like the stuff, but I feel
there have got to be better ways to spend the money.

> It's that time of year again, and I'm getting a lot of mail requesting
> charitable contributions. I already regularly donate to two area
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> one larger donation. Does anyone have any feeling for which is the
> better organization, or how I can find out?

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DW - 15 Dec 2005 20:03 GMT

> I personally give to my local shelter. I too get a lot of mail from HSUS
> and ASPCA, but the abundance of stuff they send me annoys me (cards, return
> address stickers, stationary). Not that I don't like the stuff, but I feel
> there have got to be better ways to spend the money.

Bear in mind when you get mail/phone calls looking for donations it's
actually
coming from a fund raising company. (This is especially true with
police
fund raising.) For every one dollar you donate maybe two cents goes to
the cause
the rest goes to profit for the fund raiser.

Before you donate money get informed about where your money is going.

Most important of all: if they say on the phone, in e-mail, in
mailings, in door to
door solicitations, that they represent xxxxx charity be very
skeptical. As Katrina
proved alot of frauds came out of the woodwork and many cases none of
the funds
went anywhere near the people who needed it.

Check out the legitimacy of charities before you give them a dime.

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DW - 15 Dec 2005 19:55 GMT

> It's that time of year again, and I'm getting a lot of mail requesting
> charitable contributions. I already regularly donate to two area
> no-kill cat groups (one of my cats came from one of them).

Before donating to any charity it is wise to check with
1. your local better business bureau.
2. your state's attorney general's office.

Here in our state (United States all charities are required to
file paperwork with the state attorney generals office. Among
other things it must state how much of the money collected
actually goes to the cause they are raising money for.

Above all be very skeptical of who you donate to. Never donate to
anyone who sends you e-mail, also be skeptical of phone calls.
After Hurricane Katrina con artists came out of the woodwork to
fleece people out of their money.

A suggestion for your case: forget the charities you're looking at.
You've dealt with several good no-kill shelters. Donate to them.
In this coming year (espeically with the price of oil so high) they
will need all the help they can to stay alive. Your local no-kill
shelter will appreciate the contribution more than a larger
faceless charity. That no-kill shelter? It has a face, you saw
it when you got your cat from them.

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