recommend a good charity?

[pseudotriton ruber ruber]

On a specialized message board, where I feel close to many of my fellow enthusiasts, a thread has come up involving each of us contributing to each other's favorite charities. I want to participate, have already agreed to, but I don't actually have a favorite charity, and am generally concerned that some organizations whose aims I might admire have unwieldy and padded administrations that would get a disproportionate amount of any money I might donate. Can you suggest some worthy organizations for me to consider listing as my favorite charity?

[Munch]

There are (obviously) a lot of great charities out there. There are also a lot of great charities out there who have done some pretty stupid things (i.e. the Red Cross last year). Here's a great website to check up on non-profits, how "padded" their administration is, what others think of the charity, etc.

http://www.charitynavigator.org/

The Pit?

[Shodan]

The Salvation Army.

Regards,
Shodan

[pseudotriton ruber ruber]

I screwed up.

Mods, please move? Thanks.

[belladonna]

I'm going to plug COTA (http://www.cota.org/customsites/cota/index.asp), which helps parents of children needing organ transplants raise the money to pay for them. My cousin's son has had two bowel transplants that would have been absolutely impossible without their help.

[Max Torque]

Your local rape crisis center.

Always understaffed and underfunded.

[sj2]

http://www.pasadosafehaven.org is my personal favorite. If you'd like to include animals into your giving, that is. I know 100% goes to the animals. You can even buy them food from their local feed store.

Here is what they do (from their site)...

"Pasado's Safe Haven is one of the premiere animal rescue organizations in the United States dedicated to 24-hour rescue and rehabilitation of dogs, cats, and farm animals. Pasado's Safe Haven has waged numerous prosecutions against animal abusers, winning major convictions."

[UncleBeer]

Mods, please move? Thanks.
Okay. How 'bout, oh, say, IMHO.

[pseudotriton ruber ruber]

Excellent, dear uncle.

I didn't know Poopahchalupa at all in the few months Ive been here, but in reading the very touching threads about his death, his favorite charity was mentioned, and that seems kinda serendipitous, what with me looking for a charity and all. But the suggestions made may be helpful to others in this holiday season, so please keep 'em coming, and thanks to all.

[Dinsdale]

This time of year I always make contributions in other peopls' names to The Human Fund.

[pseudotriton ruber ruber]

George?

[greck]

The united way

without a doubt. they fund all kinds of other charitable organizations and non-profits, you can even designate on your donor form which charity or organization you want your money to go toward.

[Kat]

My favorite charities are St. Jude's Children's Hospital and heifer.org (donate livestock to impoverished areas worldwide).

[merrily]

I donate to my local ferret shelter--the kind of place run by kind people who you know give up a lot to make things okay for the animals. They clean up the mess left by other humans.

Not a penny goes to overhead, no scandals about girlfriends in penthouses or relatives in cushy jobs.

So I would suggest pick a local animal shelter run by true volunteers, if you want all of your money to go to a good cause.

[hajario]

The James Randi Education Foundation (http://www.randi.org/). James Randi is a hero in the fight against ignorance.

Haj

[Paul in Qatar]

The Shrine Hospitals, of course!

[gex gex]

I'm very much into Amnesty International, however they aren't politically everyone's cup of tea.

[Landshark]

Heifer International (http://www.heifer.org/).

Quoting from the FAQ:
"Heifer International combats hunger, alleviates poverty, and restores the environment by providing appropriate livestock, training, and related services to small-scale farmers worldwide.

Heifer's key concept is that each recipient must pass on to others some of the offspring of the farm animals they receive. This principle, called "passing on the gift," assures that each participant in the program becomes a donor, enhancing dignity and participation in each project. Passing on the gift also helps communities to become self-sustaining."

[MSU 1978]

Habitat for Humanity. They make the recipients put a little sweat equity into the house and then they have to help other folks. Despite what you might think of President Carter, Jimmy Carter is a wonderful person who does a lot of good with this charity.

[annieclaus]

Make-A-Wish - fulfills wishes for seriously ill (dying) children.
Your local humane society - takes care of animal friends.
Any literacy oriented agency.

[CrankyAsAnOldMan]

The Heifer project is indeed pretty cool.

I also know some animal rescue or rehabilitation organizations offer an "adoption" program. That is, with your donation you (or someone you specify) is sort of a foster parent to that animal. I've done this with a bat conservation society for several people. They get a little packet with a picture of "their" bat and his name. And a certificate. Stuff like that. It makes it really "gifty" which I like.

[Kat]

I think a lot of zoos do that, Cranky. And there's Wolf Park in Indiana where you can sponsor a wolf.