[TubaMuffins]

this year my family has decided to not partake in the holiday shopping madness and I couldn't be more on board with this idea. Instead of spending what little money I have on presents that will be forgotten in a few months, I want to give away the money I would've spent on presents to a charity. I was thinking Salvation Army because it's the obvious choice, but its' religious ambition turned me off. What are people's favorite charities? Is there a good database of charities and their descriptions (other than the BBB)? Thanks a lot.

[RAILhead]

Toys for Tots.

The Salvation Army has little to do with religion insofar as the great work they do. Should you let your personal religious opinions keep those in need from receiving your assistance?

[Spliffdaddy]

The Salvation Army is wonderful. You won't find a charity that is absent of Christian influence. If you think religion is bad, then donate to the American Red Cross - they'll use it to build a new headquarters and pay their administrative staff.

[rickey939]

Another option during the holiday's (or anytime for that matter) is to adopt a family. Instead of buying gifts for your own, you do it for another family who is not able to do so on their own.

[Sherman Homan]

What spliffdaddy says.
What religious objection do you have with the Salvation Army?

You can also donate to The United Way, they have no overt religious objective. And they need fuel for their fleet of private jets.

Charity Navigator - America's Largest Charity Evaluator

[Gossamer]

Originally Posted by TubaMuffins 

Instead of spending what little money I have on presents that will be forgotten in a few months,

It must be nice having everything you need. Some of us actually receive meaningful, useful things as gifts.

[Spliffdaddy]

We wouldn't want you to donate any money to a Christian charity...for the sake of a Christian holiday. That wouldn't make sense.

no, wait.

[Dakar²]

The Human Fund.

[ghporter]

Fisher House.

After that, something like Toys for Tots or Elf Louise (or similar local project).

And then The Heinlein Society's blood donation operations. Heinlein established the "Science Fiction Blood Donors Society" in the '70s. You've probably never wondered where the blood that primes heart-lung machines or dialysis machines comes from...some of it came from me back then. It's important work, so go donate a pint at wherever you can where you are.

[boots]

Heifer International

[TubaMuffins]

Originally Posted by rickey939 

Another option during the holiday's (or anytime for that matter) is to adopt a family. Instead of buying gifts for your own, you do it for another family who is not able to do so on their own.

that's a nice idea but like we (my family and I) are trying to do is avoid the connection between Christmas and giving of presents, it's not the neccesity that I'm looking for.

wow, didn't think i would receive a lot of anger because as a poor college student (with thousands of dollars in debt) waiting tables and wanting to give money to somebody in need of MY choice I excluded a seasonally favorited charity. I said I didn't like the salvation army because of it's religious intentions because I feel that they could do just as great work without having to preach the life of Christ along with it(am I wrong? is this not what they do? feel free to correct me). I have absolutely nothing against it, it's just not where I would like MY money to go. Hate hate hate. anyway, as for the snarky comment "it must be nice to have everything you need." well yea, I do. I have a place to live, clothes, and food. I don't need a giant ass TV or newer ipod, I don't even really want things like that. I'd rather spend my money on what other people need. I appreciate the constructive feedback. I think I've narrowed it down to some more community focused charities.

[ink]

Your local homeless shelter.

[Annette310]

I donate and volunteer to my local animal shelter

[flyordiedays]

My favorite is St. Jude Children's Research hospital in Memphis:

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital - About St. Jude

They do really great things for sick children and their families (even if they can't pay).

[BRussell]

A friend of mine informed me about this one several months ago: Kiva.org - Loans that change lives You make loans to people to help them with their small businesses, and they repay it with no interest.

Just today a guy won the Nobel Peace prize for this type of thing.

[DeathToWindows]

I happen to really like Child's Play. Essentially, they buy games for children's hospitals... this is their fourth or fifth year, and they're doing amazingly well

www.childsplaycharity.org

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by DeathToWindows 

I happen to really like Child's Play. Essentially, they buy games for children's hospitals... this is their fourth or fifth year, and they're doing amazingly well

www.childsplaycharity.org

It seems to be not only a great charity with a great mission (and track record) but it tweaks Jack Thompson's nose every time someone donates a dollar to them, so it does double duty!

[Doofy]

World Vision - Sponsor a Child and Make a Charitable Donation

[DeathToWindows]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

It seems to be not only a great charity with a great mission (and track record) but it tweaks Jack Thompson's nose every time someone donates a dollar to them, so it does double duty!

Not so much tweaking his nose as walking up to him and kicking him... which is a worthy cause in its own right...

[iranfromthezoo]

Doofy with all respect, WorldVision is the largest Christian relief organization. Granted it's the best one I have found...I use them a lot. My family is building a well in Africa for $100 and some friends are taking a girl out of the sex trade for $35. It's on the gift giving guide on their website. Although they are religious they are a very very good organization and from what I`ve seen they are the best with the money (in my opinion).

[davesimondotcom]

Around the holidays, I give a toy to Toys for Tots.

The rest of the year - Susan Komen Foundation.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by iranfromthezoo 

Doofy with all respect, WorldVision is the largest Christian relief organization. Granted it's the best one I have found...I use them a lot. My family is building a well in Africa for $100 and some friends are taking a girl out of the sex trade for $35. It's on the gift giving guide on their website. Although they are religious they are a very very good organization and from what I`ve seen they are the best with the money (in my opinion).

I ignored the original post and just went with the answer to the thread title.

[Sky Captain]

Here's mine.

I shipped them 11 hollowed tree nest boxes two years ago.
They hoiset them into the canopy to replace the disappearing natural cavities.

[Yose]

I work with and do a lot of pro bono work for a group called the Toronto Foundation for Student Success. They are an arms-length organization (they are not bound to the beaucraZy of the schoolsystem) of the Toronto Distict School Board which means their administration costs are seperate from any donations given to them.

Basically 100% of donated monies goes to the programs they run. Which is really extraordinary.

Despite being a "rich" nation there is a lot of poverty in Toronto and there are so many kids who just don't get what they need to be successful in school. It's a deceptive problem, and a very serious one.

With all the donations the foundation collects, either through major-in-kind, or from fundraising events, they provide food for over 80,000 kids every day of the school year. But it's not even close to be being enough.

It's a great cause, especially if you live in Toronto.

You can donate through Canada Helps. Right now they are working on a "Gift of Milk" Campaign... $35 will buy 100 glasses of milk for a kid, whereas $70 will provide enough for an entire year for 1 kid.

[Gossamer]

Originally Posted by Yose 

You can donate through Canada Helps. Right now they are working on a "Gift of Milk" Campaign... $35 will buy 100 glasses of milk for a kid, whereas $70 will provide enough for an entire year for 1 kid.

The kid only gets 200 glasses of milk a year?

[Yose]

Originally Posted by Gossamer 

The kid only gets 200 glasses of milk a year?

Yes, in Ontario there are a minimum of 194 school days each year. So thats one per day.

[ghporter]

One more plug for Fisher House. Check 'em out, please. They provide housing for relatives visiting GIs in the hospital, or for military families who have critically ill children. Kind of like the Ronald McDonald House, except on military installations with large hospitals (there are two here in San Antonoi: Lackland's Wilford Hall Medical Center and Ft Sam Houston's Brooke Army Medical Center). Whatever you think of the war, think of the families first.

[olePigeon]

I can tell you my least favorite: Christian Children's Fund

What giant scam, I don't know how they get away with it. They've been caught scamming people so many times now. Misconduct and embezzlement.

They do have the funniest tag line, though. Try and guess why it's so horrible: "With your generous offer, 100% of the money we donate goes to charity."

---

I usually donate to anything that supports stem cell research.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom 

Around the holidays, I give a toy to Toys for Tots.

[hart]

In the last few years I've sent a fair amount of money to Doctors Without Borders' malaria fund. Malaria kills many people every year, especially children and relatively simple, inexpensive measures can prevent this.

To contribute to them and HAVE YOUR CONTRIBUTION DOUBLED, do it through Small Dog Electronics and support a small mac business at the same time. They have a matching contributions program for the following charities:


amfAR - Aids Research

North Country Animal League

Vermont Foodbank

Amnesty International

Planned Parenthood

Puppy Mill Rescue

Doctors Without Borders

EarthTrust

Small Dog's page for this is http://www.smalldog.com/charity.html

My favorite animal charity is an obscure no-kill shelter in an underserved area of rural Maine: http://www.thearkpets.org/index.html

For arts I support Jazz88 FM - "The World's Premier Jazz Radio Station, NYC and NJ
One of the leading jazz radio station web sites on the Internet. We provide visitors with rich, original content, such as program schedules, ..." http://www.wbgo.org/

And finally, my mother's church has a great idea. They sponsor African AIDS orphans to go to boarding school which provides them with a home and an education for several hundred dollars a year. If anyone wants the info I can ask her.

[lger]

I'm searching also and have found a number of seemingly good charities until I read user reviews on these charities and do a little digging myself. One example:

World Vision International: One reviewer had a dealing with a WVI staff member and what turned him away was the fact that the staff member would only stay in the finest hotels and eat at the highest quality restaraunts. She would not even consider less expensive alternatives. I'm kind of turned off to the fact that the CEO needs $320,000 in compensation to aid the poor. I think of the poor reaching out to the poor with their meager but heartfelt gifts. How many of these gifts are consumed by the greedy and not the needy?

I have given and will continue to give to many of the charities that you have listed here but sometimes I wonder if I am giving to some starving child or if I am buying tickets to a Lakers game for an executive of this charity and his friends...... I've truthfully never thought of the Salvation Army before but I am going to check it out. I will continue to search for a charity that that gets my meager but heartfelt gifts into the hands of those in need.

[ghporter]

For a resource on giving, check out the U.S. Government's Combined Federal Campaign web site. The CFC was designed to keep federal employees and military members from being inundated with charity pitches throughout the year; it runs ONCE a year, in the fall. But this is one particular government program that's really good-they disclose the percentage of contributions that each charity uses for overhead versus real charitable work, and will not list a charity that's spending too much on overhead.

Go to the "Search Options" button on the left and then click the "Campaign Locator" link at the top of the middle pane to search for a local campaign, which will give you information on local charities (which are often more effective than global ones-animal rescue here in San Antonio includes not just dogs and cats, but wild animals (two MAJOR rescue agencies here). Toys for Tots is great, but Elf Louise is local and has some different criteria for eligible kids. I'd also consider charities to help the people who are still trying to rebuild their lives on the Gulf Coast, even this long after Hurricane Katrina; Mississippi has not yet recovered.

[turtle777]

Everything but United Way.

Gawd I hate them.

-t

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

Everything but United Way.

Gawd I hate them.

-t

UW can be bad because employers seem to think there's some sort of "push the employees to donate even if they don't want to" competition. UW actually discourages this, but go tell your boss that.

[turtle777]

They also waste a lot of money on administration and other stuff that doesn't add any value.

-t

[pyrite]

my parents run a completely non-profit aid organization called Liberty For the Nations.. appropriately my favourite

[simonjames]

I prefer a non-denominational and non-political organisation Doctors without borders

Most charities targeting children have more money than they know what to do with and thus not much of your donated dollar actually makes it to help those you donated to (you should see the luxurious offices of a certain children's charity here in Sydney).

And most christian charities come with conditions.

[siflippant]

Rspca

[Judge_Fire]

Originally Posted by Spliffdaddy 

If you think religion is bad, then donate to the American Red Cross - they'll use it to build a new headquarters and pay their administrative staff.

Isn't it an International Red Cross rule not to mix the administrative and disaster relief budgets, or is the US RC somehow corrupt in this regard?

[osiris]

Originally Posted by Dakar² 

The Human Fund.

Exactly.