# You are given $1 million to donate, who do you donate it to and why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 30, 2004, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-given-1-million-to-donate-who-do-you-donate-it-to-and-why/247775 "2004-05-30T10:07:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-given-1-million-to-donate-who-do-you-donate-it-to-and-why/247775/1 "2004-05-30T10:07:44Z")
I think of this all the time, because I would like to be a multi-millionaire one day and I think it would feel great to donate large sums of money to causes you believe in. For the sake of this thread lets say you pull a thorn out of the Pope’s butt and he gives you a million dollars but you can’t keep it for yourself or give it to any individuals. The organizations you give it to do not necessarily have to be charities but you probably shouldn’t donate it to your Uncle Bob’s exotic species of sex toys collection. Here’s how I would break mine down: **$500,000 - Make-A-Wish Foundation** This has always been my favorite charity. I think it’s great what they do for kids and it breaks my heart to think that they would ever run out of money or just not have quite enough for little Joey’s trip to Disney World. **$250,000 - The ACLU** Civil Liberties are extremely important to me and it would feel great to do something that would help the cause of defending them. **$250,000 The James Randi Educational Foundation** I would ask that this go towards educating people in sketicism and promoting the Paranormal Challenge. I’m a skeptic down to the core of my being but I’m also a dreamer and I would _love_ to see someone win that prize one day. What would you do with yours? ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-given-1-million-to-donate-who-do-you-donate-it-to-and-why/247775/2 "2004-05-30T10:11:51Z")
I think it should all go to the _Spooje Re-education Fund_. [sub]Or maybe to a Children’s Hospital. Or cancer research.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-given-1-million-to-donate-who-do-you-donate-it-to-and-why/247775/3 "2004-05-30T10:37:23Z")
This means I can’t set up a shell corporation to funnel the money back to me? Damn. That thorn goes right back in the Pope! ---
**Author:** ![Necro\_Romancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/50afbb/32.png) [@Necro\_Romancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necro_Romancer)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-given-1-million-to-donate-who-do-you-donate-it-to-and-why/247775/4 "2004-05-30T11:25:52Z")
**$1,000,000 - The World’s Largest Ham Sandwhich Fund** I’m obviously not very good with money. I would give it to someone trustworthy and tell them to give half towards cancer research, and the other half to various inner city programs. Also, this thread may be misleading. If anyone here really does pull a thorn out the Pope’s butt, make sure he grants you three wishes. The money reward is a scam. ---
**Author:** ![Booker57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Booker57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Booker57)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-given-1-million-to-donate-who-do-you-donate-it-to-and-why/247775/5 "2004-05-30T11:50:18Z")
Planned Parenthood. $500,000 They helped my sister get her tubes tied at a young age. Around here they are good people. NOW. $500,000 Just because. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-given-1-million-to-donate-who-do-you-donate-it-to-and-why/247775/6 "2004-05-30T12:50:23Z")
Amnesty International ACLU National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Freedom to Marry Coalition Kerry for President Americans United for Separation of Church and State And any other non-profit I could find that the Pope, knowing that money went to them, would get pissed off. And I’d make the donation in the Pope’s name, so they send him one of those “a donation in your name has been made to…” cards. ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-given-1-million-to-donate-who-do-you-donate-it-to-and-why/247775/7 "2004-05-30T13:05:56Z")
$1,000,000 Ifaw ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-given-1-million-to-donate-who-do-you-donate-it-to-and-why/247775/8 "2004-05-30T13:10:06Z")
> [@Booker57](#): > > NOW. $500,000 Who? > [@gum](#): > > $1,000,000 Ifaw Who? And you’re supposed to say why! ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-given-1-million-to-donate-who-do-you-donate-it-to-and-why/247775/9 "2004-05-30T13:14:15Z")
oops, My mistake, **Cisco** IFAW = International Fund for Animal Welfare. I figure the human race is lost anyway, so… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lobelia\_Overhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@Lobelia\_Overhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobelia_Overhill)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-given-1-million-to-donate-who-do-you-donate-it-to-and-why/247775/10 "2004-05-30T14:02:49Z")
€100,000 to ten deserving causes. [ul]a cancer charity[/ul] [ul]an animal shelter[/ul] [ul]an orphanage (they do still have orphanages don’t they?)[/ul] [ul]an overseas food-aid charity[/ul] [ul]a homeless people charity[/ul] [ul]an elderly people charity[/ul] [ul]a woman’s refuge[/ul] [ul]a save the whales group[/ul] [ul]a save the rainforest group[/ul] [ul]and set up my own organisation for ex racehorses[/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-given-1-million-to-donate-who-do-you-donate-it-to-and-why/247775/11 "2004-05-30T14:27:56Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Who? NOW = National Organization for Women. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-given-1-million-to-donate-who-do-you-donate-it-to-and-why/247775/12 "2004-05-30T14:28:22Z")
I’d give $250,000 to the SPCA. All but one of our pets has come from there (the other was a stray who adopted _us_ one day). The other $750K would go to the Shriner’s Hospitals for Children. I think this may be the most worthwhile charity I have even seen. Fortunately we have never needed \*their \* services. ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-given-1-million-to-donate-who-do-you-donate-it-to-and-why/247775/13 "2004-05-30T14:30:58Z")
First, I’d set it up as a fund, and then donate 95% of the interest (after inflation) to different organizations each year. The [EFF](http://www.eff.org) is the only group I can think of, since they’re the only group I’m currently donating towards. “Digital Freedom” and all that… good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![RandomLetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@RandomLetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomLetters)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-given-1-million-to-donate-who-do-you-donate-it-to-and-why/247775/14 "2004-05-30T14:35:22Z")
Well, I would give $250,000 to my church, $250,000 to the EFF, $250,000 to the Shriners children’s hospital, and the remaing quarter million to the NRA. ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-given-1-million-to-donate-who-do-you-donate-it-to-and-why/247775/15 "2004-05-30T14:37:14Z")
The majority would go to the [ERRC](http://www.errc.org/). ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-given-1-million-to-donate-who-do-you-donate-it-to-and-why/247775/16 "2004-05-30T14:44:24Z")
Didn’t mean to submit then. Anyway, majority to the ERRC with about 25% going to the United Romani Educational Foundation. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-given-1-million-to-donate-who-do-you-donate-it-to-and-why/247775/17 "2004-05-30T14:58:15Z")
I was more interested in _why_ than who, in case you guys want to elaborate. ---
**Author:** ![Nightingale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@Nightingale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightingale)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-given-1-million-to-donate-who-do-you-donate-it-to-and-why/247775/18 "2004-05-30T15:00:11Z")
$100,000 to my church, and then divide the rest between The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer foundation, The American Cancer Society, The Robert Packard Center for ALS Research, and Alabama Animal Adoptions. ---
**Author:** ![caligynephobia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7feea3/32.png) [@caligynephobia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligynephobia)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-given-1-million-to-donate-who-do-you-donate-it-to-and-why/247775/19 "2004-05-30T15:38:39Z")
$500,000 to [The Mautner Project for Lesbians with Cancer](http://www.mautnerproject.org) Lesbians are often overlooked when it comes health care access/availability and support networks for cancer victims and their loved ones. $500,000 to [The Soaring Society of America](http://www.ssa.org) because I love soaring. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-given-1-million-to-donate-who-do-you-donate-it-to-and-why/247775/20 "2004-05-30T15:45:05Z")
[heifer.com](http://heifer.com) All of the money. Why? It’s an organization that sets up third world mothers with income producing flocks. (Ducks, geese, goats, cows, sheep, hell even bees if you like) It’s a micro loan sort of deal. They provide a breeding pair, gifted to the woman of the family. The intent is for her to provide both income for her to feed and educate her family, and as the herd grows she is required pass on a breeding pair to another woman in her community in the same financial need. It’s a great organization, why just last year I sent several people I couldn’t figure out what to get, they were informed they were responsible for providing a family with a flock of geese. Who else can say they got a flock of geese for Christmas? One million would go a very long way with this group, the benefits generated could reverberate for years. Spread the word! peace [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-given-1-million-to-donate-who-do-you-donate-it-to-and-why/247775.md?page=2)