I’ve seen the ads and the children really get to me. But I’m always skeptical, and they seem to have a fairly healthy marketing budget. Anything I should know before contributing?
Here’s an older report on Shriner’s financing from 2007. A similar, more recent report about St. Judeswhich employs a similar fundraising campaign.
I’m going to get some more info about these, I have good contacts in the non-profit world. I’d like to help those children, but $1 million dollar a year administrators don’t need my help.
Bill Bryson didn’t like Shriners very much in his book The Lost Continent. He described them as a club for guys who like setting fire to each other’s shoes that gave sick kids pennies from the dollars they collected.
But that book is from years ago. Dunno if they’ve changed since then.
Charity Navigator report on Shriners Hospitals For Children. (Not Shriners itself)
I would recommend picking the facility you want to support, and donating directly to it. They are exactly what they say they are: facilities that provide orthopedic and burn care to children, at no cost to them OR their insurance companies.
I have personally known several people who received treatment from them, and one of them wasn’t really a burn patient, but when she was a toddler, she was in an accident that led to her needing skin grafts, and this was where she had it done, and made a full recovery.
Thank you for the advice.
Well, those are some powerful ads. Got me looking for my checkbook.
Their production crew should get an award.