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Lets you get an idea of which ones actually use a high percentage of their money for program expenses, and who carries a lot of overhead. Some good ones- Fisher House (military) and The V Foundation (cancer).
This. Personally, I don't have a problem with charities advertising. After all, an organization such as the American Red Cross has to raise untold billions in order to fulfill their missions. To me, the question becomes, how effectively do they use their receipts? That's the litmus test. Charity Navigator does a pretty good job of giving you guidance.
That being said, I keep this list taped up on the inside cabinet door above the telephone. Whenever I get a telephone solicitor, I check this list. If this is one of those lists calling, I give them what for.
Do I trust them? 99% no. I donate to local ones I know plus I sponsor a child through a highly rated charity that afaik never advertises on TV (Compassion International, if you want to know... It's a Christian one but that's not why I picked it.)
For the most part no. There are sites that help determine how well a charity behaves. My choice has been to directly donate, where possible.
Same here. I will give to my local animal shelter and to real people directly without a middleman. I like to buy food on sale for food pantries rather than give money if I can't know how the money is spent and who is overseeing it.
Just recently, a food pantry run by a church that is supported by the church I attend let it be known that they'd rather have cash donations than the usual non-perishable food that we usually give. The reasoning is supposedly that the patrons are complaining when they all don't get the exact same stuff in their bags or they don't like what the food pantry has on its shelves.
There are other food pantries and soup kitchens in the area, so I will move on. But TV charities? I don't THINK so. Same with all those people who send advertisements to my mailbox begging for money.
Charity begins at home. Give to your local homeless shelters, animal shelters, or food banks. If your donation goes more than 50 miles, it's going into somebody's pocket instead of to a worthy cause. No, you can't trust TV hucksters. Why would you ever think you could?
No I don't trust them. They misuse the money donated to them. I would rather find someone local who is in need. Children and animals top my list. Adults get themselves into many of their bad situations.
The disheartening thing about those commercials is the cost of the ad itself. I prefer to donate to a church (Methodist Programs - UMCOR) charity that has no administrative expense. The members donate money specifically for the administration one month per year and so all monies donated for the specific disaster go to relief without any $ going to the program cost.
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