Business has been pretty good this year (really). I like to give $100. to charity on years when we do well.
What organization would give $100. to?
Oh man, my grandpa gives me $500 that I choose to give to various charities every year, so I could go on and on, but I’ll try to pick a few that stand out.
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Death With Dignity National Center - I became EMT certified a year ago, and was disturbed at how many senior citizens I encountered who had lived a full life, and were now in poor health and ready to die. This organization lobbies for the legalization of euthanasia.
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Along those same lines, consider donating to your local volunteer fire department.
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Children Awaiting Parents (capbook.org) - Finds families for children who are hard to adopt, often because of physical or mental disabilities.
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PCI Media Impact - This charity’s motto is “Telling stories, saving lives.” They use creative media, such as radio and television serial dramas, comic books, documentaries, and public service announcements, to educate children and adults in developing countries about important issues such as AIDS prevention and environmental conservation.
Something for animals would be nice. Your local shelter could use it, or the ASPCA or AVMA.
The ACLU is going to be more important than ever if SOPA passes.
Give local. Always give local when you just have a little.
Find the local Children’s home and donate to them. Kids at risk are often the forgotten in our society.
A contribution to our future can never be underestimated. Better future for them is a better future for us all.
As an animal lover, I would suggest these two:
-Refuge Farms Horse sanctuary a place that gives neglected/abused/unwanted horses a chance even if they are very ill or disabled. This article talks about their work:
-The “US friends” of the Kenyan elephant conservation group the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
Here is an article that talks about the Sheldrick Trust’s work with traumatized orphaned elephants:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/09/orphan-elephants/siebert-text
My Amazon Class Wish List. 
A friend of mine posted this on facebook. I thought it was a sweet and kind idea:
http://sweetdreamsforkids.org/
They donate new pj’s to kids in hospitals.
This site allows tuers o play a game online and donate free vaccines at the same time. You can also give money directly to them:
http://www.givevaccines.org/faq.php?osCsid=9djib24u5o0gqi9d943vqltuo6
LA Foodbank, in honor of asimovian and jsgoddess’ wedding!
I’m ashamed to admit I wait until this time of year when the “matching” gifts appear, but seriously? Planned Parenthood.
I know they have the reputation of “OMG GOD That’s where you go to have an abortion”, but: NO. But, no. They provide healthcare to all sorts of low-income people, regardless of gender or age. Regular health screenings for Men, Women and Children, etc. Legit.
They helped me out A LOT when I was near destitute so I like to give them a shout-out.
SMA is the #1 genetic killer of young children, yet is little-known by the public.
Many families, like mine, suffer horribly when they have a seemingly healthy baby only to be told after a few months the baby has a terminal disorder and will likely not live to see her second birthday.
My wife and I started Getty Owl Foundation when our daughter, Getty (our little owl), was diagnosed with SMA at age 4 months. We got the diagnosis at Post #23 of this SDMB thread. Getty is now almost 2 years old.
In most cases, children with SMA have a life expectancy of only age 2.
SMA is a terminal and horrible neuromuscular disorder causing severe muscle weakness, affecting the ability to move, swallow, and breathe.
1 in 40 people unknowingly carry the gene causing SMA. SMA is not part of standard prenatal testing.
There is no treatment or cure.
There is hope because the National Institutes for Health deemed SMA the #1 condition closest to treatment out of over 600 neurological disorders. A cure is likely on the horizon with adequate funding.
Getty Owl Foundation is an all-volunteer organization that helps raise SMA awareness, assists other families affected by SMA, and helps accelerate research for a cure. Please help if you can. Every dollar counts.
Thank you for your consideration.
I usually give to Heifer International. This organization provides farm animals and training to care for the animals to families in need. Recipients are required to pass on the gift, that is, they are required to give one of the offspring to another family.
What I like about this charity is that it’s not a hand out, it’s a hand up. If a family gets a flock of poultry, for instance, they can eat the eggs themselves (which they might desperately need to do), or sell them. And they can use the droppings for fertilizer. They can increase the flock, and pass on a flock to another family. It’s not a one-time gift, it keeps on helping that family, and other families, and it allows the recipients to keep their dignity, and develop more pride as they become more able to provide for themselves and others.
My answer would be to a “no kill” animal shelter, or hospice. My experience with hospice when my mom passed away was more than positive.
Best wishes for your cause and your daughter’s health. I sent a little money to the foundation by paypal.
GiveWell researches charities to determine which ones get the most bang for your buck, so to speak.
Here’s their list of top rated charities.
This is one that I support. I also support Doctors without Borders and, locally, my state’s food bank (Food Bank of Iowa).
ETA: Oh, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a great group too. I volunteer, but they can always use donations as well.
Yep. Local foodbanks are a good idea, especially considering how many families they’re serving as of late.