A recent Glasbergen cartoon shows a father saying to his kid with a smart phone,
Something to make the world look sane again — is there an app for that?
Unfortunately there isn’t, but thanks to the internet I don’t feel quite so helpless. I especially like Charity Navigator, a great resource when we want to donate money but want to make sure it goes to the people we want to help. The crisis in Syria is just one example:
As the Syrian conflict enters its fifth year, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that it now represents the largest displacement crisis in the world, with over half the population forced out of their homes. Of the 12.2 million people requiring humanitarian aid, 4 million live as refugees in nearby countries — including Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan — while another 7.6 million remain inside Syria. Nearly half the people affected by the conflict — 5.6 million — are children. The Syrians displaced by the ongoing civil war depend upon humanitarian aid for food, clothing and shelter. The highly-rated charities listed here are providing these services and more (such as medical assistance and schooling for children).
Be sure to consider what it is that you want your donation to accomplish and to find a charity offering that specific type of aid. To do that, simply click on the charity’s name and view its rating page (where you can learn about its Financial Health, Accountability & Transparency). Once you are satisfied with its rating, then you can jump to the charity’s website (we link to each charity’s site from its ratings page) to learn more specifically about the type of assistance the charity is providing in relation to the Syrian crisis.
I especially like the part, “Be sure to consider what it is that you want your donation to accomplish and to find a charity offering that specific type of aid.” We may not be able to do much, but it’s better than nothing. Good information of this sort is invaluable.
September 16, 2015
There is an online organisation Give India in India set up by a fellow alumnus that performs a remarkable job of identifying worthy causes and links donators to those.
Yes, organizations like this are extremely helpful.
I feel ambiguous about charities.
Leaving aside that, at the moment, I am in no position to give when I do give I always try and avoid “the middleman”. Meaning I give to a person. Cash in hand. No admin costs, no nothing. Of course, that approach means it’s random.
Here, in England, charities are recruiting at an alarming rate. Enter empathy fatigue.
I particularly “like”, and have actually applied, a charity signing up people to donate to “raise puppies for the blind”. Obviously that’s a no brainer since the British prefer dogs to children. However, and the irony may not be lost on you (or indeed myself), the sales’ pitch being that (in the UK) a person goes blind very hour. Every hour, Jean. Want to howl and seek comfort at my shoulder? Do.
Other than that, and I feel sorry for myself and haven’t got the faintest clue what to do, the eye hospital called this morning. They have booked me in for Saturday. I CANNOT FACT IT. I am no wimp. I still can’t face it.
What to do, what to do? Risk. Ha, here I am. The one so proud of ability to assess risk. Will I regret this? And that’s before thinking of the actual operation. Being such a ninny they will sedate me heavily but I’ll still be awake during. Please throw a morsel of wisdom my way before I cancel (for the umpteenth time) the appointment.
Where were we? Charity. And how to wander off the subject.
U
ursula! don’t cancel!
i would be just like you. but it’s so important.
holding only GOOD thoughts for you.
Good luck, Ursula. I wish I were there to hold your hand. It’s a scary business, but one that has to be faced sooner or later. I wish you the best.
thank you for this great information monk.
after the debacle of the way the katrina money was mishandled…
and other times i could name… it makes for a very uneasy feeling to donate.
i don’t want to line the pockets of some unscrupulous greedy politican.
i usually do as ursula says… give personally.
the thought of so many little innocent children suffering. THAT’S the clincher for me though.
thanks again for the info.
There are some causes you can’t give to directly. One of my favorite groups is Doctors Without Borders.
I’m also very leery of any donation giving.
There’s a list somewhere of how many CEO’s of these organizations are living as millionaires, while the people or projects in need, only see pennies of the donation.
But right now, I’m in no position to give.
It might sound selfish but I give to my rescued pets.
That’s where my money goes.
If I ever do get some real money, I would want to contribute to something that gives people a hand UP, rather than a hand out.
The whole teach them to fish type of thing.
That’s the nice thing about Charity Navigator. They tell you how much the CEO’s are taking. I also agree with giving a hand up rather than a hand out.