Charities - Can you trust them?
Since I will be moving to a smaller apartment I can’t keep all my books, so instead of throwing them away I thought I could sell them to very generous prizes. Since I feel like I want to do something for the world I thought I could donate the money I get for the books to charity.
But, which charity company should I choose? You can always read about those charities that pays their boss millions of dollars per year, or those who only give 5% of their income to charity and keep the rest for themselves, and etc. I just want the money I give away should end up to those who needs it and not in some rich guy’s pocket.
Only one big country can give away billions of dollars to charity, but I don’t see any big changes in the third world. So where does the money really go? It makes you wonder.
Should I choose among those who are popular or should I look for local projects instead?
What are your thoughts about this? Have you worked for one you can recommend?
if you’re giving to a swedish charity, then give to one with a so called 90 account, like the red cross - they have 900800-4, not the starting 90?
they are monitiored by SFI (Stiftelsen För Insamlingskontroll, the Foundation for fund-raising control. and they have in their turn stipulated that a maximum of 25% of the yearly proceeds can be used for information and administration.
imho, the actual charity you send money too isn’t that important (other than their cause of-course), i think it’s more important to choose a charity that gets the money to actual use.
a lot of money dissapear in the receiving country, and because the charity has released the money by then, there’s no follow ups on that.
my top three charities is red cross, sos barnbyar (they build housing for those in need) and amnesty international
Posted on December 22nd, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Currently there is a huge debate about something similar in Denmark because Red Cross Denmark had a change of general secretary and he was paid a ridiculous amount of money and that was similar to what he was paid yearly so I say Ditch! Red Cross.
It’s a tough question though. You could also sell the books and spend the money on fair trade products. Pouring mony into a country is never half as good as teaching the country how to help it self.
Posted on December 23rd, 2007 at 6:24 am
check out charitywatch.org/toprated.html … they examine this issue carefully.
Posted on December 23rd, 2007 at 6:10 pm
Yes there is a lot of charity being done by well meaning people, but the poor keep getting poorer and the third world countries continue to be third world countries although the developed countries are perceived to be giving all this ‘aid’. Like Shakespeare said; ‘there is many slip/ twixt the cup and the lip.’
Posted on December 23rd, 2007 at 9:58 pm
A Swedish charity that I do some work for:
http://www.hungerprojektet.se/
Their international site is at:
http://www.thp.org/
Posted on December 26th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
Have you considered Doctors Without Borders?
Posted on January 4th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
A week late in a response, but I stay with local charities. I don’t trust the Red Cross at all. This year I donated to one my local newspaper runs, each day they have an article about someone in need of something- either clothes, bedding/beds etc, and you can either donate the item itself, or money. I donated clothes and a little cash.
Posted on January 5th, 2008 at 1:27 am