what are your criteria for giving to a charity?

[VTsnowbird]

Originally Posted by boxus

You will be helping out a lot more people by your discretionary spending than by donating to charity.

Really? How is that?

[historyfan]

You can look up nonprofits here & see the 4 largest salaries and assorted other info from Morningstar.

https://www.guidestar.org/profile/52-1270464

I am familiar with a few non profits. I personally only give to one national non profit--the Salvation Army.

Otherwise, I think local small projects/operations are the way to go.

[old_cold]

Originally Posted by city living

What REALLY makes me NOT want to donate to a charity is if they constantly harass me. I can ignore the constant solicitations in the mail but when an entity like St. Jude continuously calls my husband non-stop even when he asks them more than once to remove him from the call list, then you just lost someone.

That's one reason why, even though it isn't what the op meant, my 'criteria' is to give anonymously.

[VTsnowbird]

Originally Posted by historyfan

You can look up nonprofits here & see the 4 largest salaries and assorted other info from Morningstar.

https://www.guidestar.org/profile/52-1270464

I am familiar with a few non profits. I personally only give to one national non profit--the Salvation Army.

Otherwise, I think local small projects/operations are the way to go.

Not defending the S.A., but how do they manage to run a BILLION dollar operation without a highly paid CEO? Hmmm, maybe it is that "believing in the cause" thing I mentioned.

[Nopointus]

I haven't given much besides a few dollars everytime I see a homeless person. I give just enough for a meal, what they do with it is beyond my control and I don't like to think too deeply about it. Now that I'm getting a better paying job, I will most likely look into other causes I find meaningful - usually relates to homelessness. Moreso to individuals outside of the country who aren't as fortunate as most of us here in America.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

I only give locally where I can actually see what they are doing and how their money is spent.

There are several of those big national charities where they aren't actually doing what contributors think they are doing (like the huge natonal level "humane" agencies)

I also volunteer my hours in addition to money or goods.