Junior Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/13/us/worst-charities/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 The worst charity in America operates from a metal warehouse behind a gas station in Holiday, Florida. Every year, Kids Wish Network raises millions of dollars in donations in the name of dying children and their families. Every year, it spends less than 3 cents on the dollar helping kids. Most of the rest gets diverted to enrich the charity's operators and the for-profit companies Kids Wish hires to drum up donations. In the past decade alone, Kids Wish has channeled nearly $110 million donated for sick children to its corporate solicitors. An additional $4.8 million has gone to pay the charity's founder and his own consulting firms. America's 50 worst charities: http://www.tampabay.com/americas-worst-charities/ Link to comment
beanman Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 http://www.cnn.com/2....html?hpt=hp_t1 The worst charity in America operates from a metal warehouse behind a gas station in Holiday, Florida. Every year, Kids Wish Network raises millions of dollars in donations in the name of dying children and their families. Every year, it spends less than 3 cents on the dollar helping kids. Most of the rest gets diverted to enrich the charity's operators and the for-profit companies Kids Wish hires to drum up donations. In the past decade alone, Kids Wish has channeled nearly $110 million donated for sick children to its corporate solicitors. An additional $4.8 million has gone to pay the charity's founder and his own consulting firms. America's 50 worst charities: http://www.tampabay....orst-charities/ Thanks for posting. I'm always willing to send money, but always hesitant because I don't know which charities I can trust. I usually just wind up giving money to homeless people I see and hope it goes toward food rather than something else. Also, good God. That's all I can say to that list. Link to comment
NUance Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 I'm surprised to see some of these charities on the list. They are not the fly-by-night organizations that I would expect. _#4__American Breast Cancer Foundation_______5.3% #23__American Foundation For Disabled Children__0.8% #32__American Association of the Deaf & Blind____0.1% Most of the 50 paid less than 5% towards their stated charitable work. Only two of the fifty paid more than 10% (both ~ 11%). That's just criminal. There's a special warm spot in hell for the folks that do this sort of thing. Link to comment
Creighton Duke Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 It really is depressing that you have to do some in-depth research before donating to "charitable" organizations. Link to comment
beanman Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 It really is depressing that you have to do some in-depth research before donating to "charitable" organizations. It's also not that easy to research a lot of them. I've looked into a couple that sounded like good causes and found a lot of inconsistent reports on them, and ultimately decided not to donate. People suffer because of greed and that's what's depressing to me. It's nice having articles like this because you can immediately eliminate all of them. Link to comment
TGHusker Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Here is one of the best. Now with scientific economic research data showing that their approach works to help children move from poverty to being productive adults. Compassion Int'l has been around for 60 years or so, our family (my wife and I and our 2 sons and their wives) all support this organization. We also have inside scoop as a relative works there and can attest to the financial integrity of the organization as has Charity Navigator, America's largest charity evaluator. Besides child sponsorship, the organization targets families affected by aids, they have a leadership development program - assisting certain children wt college, they help in disaster relief efforts, and a program that helps mothers and babies. Sponsored children now number over 1.1million world wide. This is a place where I feel my money is going to the actual need - the child and family itself and not some broad community based project wt lots of admin costs. http://www.christiantoday.com/article/what.impact.does.child.sponsorship.have/32496.htm Copied in part here: "What we found was that Compassion's child-centred development approach to sponsorship has many strong, positive impacts on the adult life outcomes of these formerly sponsored children." The study looked at over 1,850 people across six countries who had been sponsored as children through Compassion between 1980 and 1992. Wydick's team made a number of key findings: Former Compassion sponsored children stay in school 1 to 1.5 years longer than their non-sponsored peers. (In Uganda, the numbers are much higher—2.4 years.) An extra year of schooling could have long-lasting impact on a child's future employment possibilities as an adult. Former Compassion sponsored children were 27-40% more likely to finish secondary education than those who were not enrolled in the child sponsorship programme. Former Compassion sponsored children were 50-80% more likely to complete a university education than non-sponsored children. As adults, former Compassion sponsored children were 14-18% more likely to have salaried employment than their non-sponsored peers. As adults, former Compassion sponsored children were roughly 35% more likely to secure white-collar employment than their non-sponsored peers. Former Compassion sponsored children were 30-75% more likely to become community leaders as adults than their non-sponsored peers. Former Compassion sponsored children were 40-70% more likely to become church leaders as adults than their non-sponsored peers. http://www.compassion.com/default.htm A Trustworthy Charity At Compassion, we take your trust in our ministry very seriously. We know how valuable your confidence is...without it our mission of releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name can't be accomplished. Compassion consistently receives high ratings for financial accountability and integrity. Charity Navigator, America's largest charity evaluator, has awarded Compassion its highest rating — four stars — for 12 consecutive years, placing Compassion in the top 1 percent of all charities. Sponsoring a Child is Just Part of Compassion's Ministry to Children in Need. Sponsor a Child — At Compassion we take a committed, long-term approach to fighting child poverty. Our Holistic Child Development Model is made up of four comprehensive programs investing in children from the beginning of their lives until they’ve reached adulthood, and covering everything from prenatal care to university-level education.Our one-to-one Child Sponsorship Program allows you to personally connect with a specific child and build a life-changing relationship. When you sponsor a child, you have the opportunity to influence that child during adolescence, one of the most pivotal developmental periods Three additional programs round out the Child Development Model. Our Child Survival Program ministers to mothers and babies during the critical first years of life. Our Leadership Development Program champions promising young adults to continue their education and develop their leadership abilities. Our Complementary Interventions address a variety of additional needs that complete the other programs. Link to comment
TGHusker Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Follow up to my post on Compassion, this article rates 10 cost effective ways of helping the poor. Sponsorship being # 4 and providing clean water (water wells) being # 1. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/february/popular-strategies-helping-the-poor.html?order=&start=1 Link to comment
beanman Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 How about wildlife funds? Anyone have any information on those? I've wanted to do something to help the Rhino, the Tiger, etc. but don't know who to trust there either. I've given money to the Sierra Club, but I don't necessarily agree with their stance on some of their causes and they are real pushy now that I've given them money and keep bugging me for more. Link to comment
TGHusker Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 How about wildlife funds? Anyone have any information on those? I've wanted to do something to help the Rhino, the Tiger, etc. but don't know who to trust there either. I've given money to the Sierra Club, but I don't necessarily agree with their stance on some of their causes and they are real pushy now that I've given them money and keep bugging me for more. You might find more local organizations - some wildlife rescue groups that rescue 'lions, tigers, and bears oh my' etc. There you may be able to help real people helping real animals - by providing money for their care and food. Link to comment
Junior Posted June 13, 2013 Author Share Posted June 13, 2013 How about wildlife funds? Anyone have any information on those? I've wanted to do something to help the Rhino, the Tiger, etc. but don't know who to trust there either. I've given money to the Sierra Club, but I don't necessarily agree with their stance on some of their causes and they are real pushy now that I've given them money and keep bugging me for more. Make sure to stay away from the Humane Society of the United States. They like to trick you into thinking they are, in some way, affiliated with your local humane society. They are not. They are very radical and do some bad things. http://www.consumerfreedom.com/2012/01/9-things-you-didnt-know-about-hsus/ Link to comment
strigori Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Some of the names on those scammers look very close to well known legit charities. Kids Wish I had never heard of, but Make A Wish is one I do know. Link to comment
Junior Posted June 14, 2013 Author Share Posted June 14, 2013 Some of the names on those scammers look very close to well known legit charities. Kids Wish I had never heard of, but Make A Wish is one I do know. Yep, that seems to be their point. When I first read the article I thought they were talking about Make A Wish because I wasn't reading closely. Link to comment
BigRedBuster Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 I donate to very few charities that are not local where I can monitor what is going on and this is the reason. That is disgusting. Link to comment
Junior Posted June 21, 2013 Author Share Posted June 21, 2013 Didn't want to start a new thread and this seems like a good spot for this: http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/21/19062348-disabled-workers-paid-just-pennies-an-hour-and-its-legal Goodwill Industries, a multibillion-dollar company whose executives make six-figure salaries, is among the nonprofit groups permitted to pay thousands of disabled workers far less than minimum wage because of a federal law known as Section 14 ©. Labor Department records show that some Goodwill workers in Pennsylvania earned wages as low as 22, 38 and 41 cents per hour in 2011. "If they really do pay the CEO of Goodwill three-quarters of a million dollars, they certainly can pay me more than they're paying," said Harold Leigland, who is legally blind and hangs clothes at a Goodwill in Great Falls, Montana for less than minimum wage. I understand there needs to be some incentive to hiring a disabled worker, but they have to be able to live on their wages... Link to comment
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