THINK BEFORE YOU DONATE

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE YOU MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS:

As you open your pockets to do a good thing and make yourself feel good, please keep the following facts in mind:
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The American Red Cross
President and CEO Marsha J. Evans'

salary for the year was $651,957 plus expenses


MARCH OF DIMES
It is called the March of Dimes because

only a dime for every 1 dollar is given to the needy.


The United Way
President Brian Gallagher

receives a $375,000 base salary along with numerous expense benefits.


UNICEF
CEO Caryl M. Stern receives

$1,200,000 per year (100k permonth) plus all expenses including a ROLLS ROYCE.

Less than 5 cents of your donated dollar goes to the cause.


GOODWILL
CEO and owner Mark Curran profits $2.3 million a year.
Goodwill is a very catchy name for his business.

You donate to his business and then he sells the items for PROFIT.
He pays nothing for his products and pays his workers minimum wage! Nice Guy.
$0.00 goes to help anyone!
Stop giving to this man.

Instead, give it to ANY OF THE FOLLOWING

GO "GREEN" AND PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE IT WILL DO SOME GOOD:

The Salvation Army
Commissioner, Todd Bassett receives a small salary of only

$13,000 per year (plus housing) for managing this $2 billion dollar organization.

96 percent of donated dollars go to the cause.


The American Legion
National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary.
Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!


The Veterans of Foreign Wars
National Commander receives a$0.00 zero salary.

Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!


The Disabled American Veterans
National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary.
Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!


The Military Order of Purple Hearts
National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary.
Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!

The Vietnam Veterans Association
National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary.

Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!


Make a Wish:For children's last wishes.

100% goes to funding trips or special wishes for a dying child.


St. Jude Research Hospital

100% goes towards funding and helping Children with Cancer who have no insurance and can
not afford to pay.


Ronald McDonald Houses

All monies go to running the houses for parents who have critical Children in the hospital.

100% goes to housing, and feeding the families.


Lions Club International

100% OF DONATIONS GO TO HELP THE BLIND,BUY HEARING AIDES, SUPPORT MEDICAL MISSIONS AROUND THE WORLD. THEIR LATEST UNDERTAKING

IS MEASLES VACCINATIONS (ONLY $1.00 PER SHOT).


Please share this with everyone you can.

The Salvation Army is my favorite charity followed by Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.

I hope things have changed for the better.

Thanks for that, it's good to know, I won't feel so bad not giving to those charities. Isn't it sad that it's come down to charities ripping you off, who'd have thunk it?!

This brings to mind that requests that the community in CT have made to people to please stop sending gifts, floweres, candels, and cards. While it is hard for all of us to not feel terrible pain when we see such heart breaks it is a terrible burden for this small community, or any community, to have such displays to clean up.

And in many cases these memorial displays cause traffic hazards as people do the natural thing which is look and be distracted from the road often causeing yet another accident.

And yes I do agree that many of the charities or noprofits do over pay their leadership but many of these "bussinesses" have thousands of employees, millions of volunteers, and literally billions of property that they have to manage.

And yes while some charities do have a lot of their inventory donated they have to do ten times the amount of handleing that the average "store" does. And the money you see going through the coffers are going into programs beyond the physical stores you see in training, services, counseling, and supplies to make the work you don't see get done. Often giving free clothing, bedding, and household supplies to shelters and shoppers with vouchers.

And they actually pay prevailing wages partially as the diginity of the worker and partially not to create nepotism for the entry level work that is done often createing jobs where no jobs would exist in the area.

I am intimately familiar with GoodWill employees and they are often intensly trained, supervised, and given comprehensive ongoing job placement when they are moved up and out to better employment. Many of the workers have all kinds of barriers that no other employer would even consider from retardation to mental illness and levels of security so that ex-cons can try working (which they do not advertise) and with the support and giveing positive re-enforcement they get on their subsidized employment; sometimes the first and only employment that they can ever hold.

www.charitynavigator.org

Excellent points PacificStar.

It is more Blessed to give than receive. Many people give out of their heart. It is not about just making them feel good. There are plenty of things to give to that help people in need that are legitimate programs. Administration of these programs need to get paid for their work as well. IMO

I have raised funds for St Jude's many times over! It is a great cause!

I used to donate to Goodwill because my neighbor worked there - but lately I have been dropping things off at Plant Aid

I prefer to give directly to those in obvious need. One of the most rewarding experiences of my life was coming upon what most people would call a "bum" or "down & outer" who asked me for nothing, but simply sat outside a burger joint looking pathetic, or dangerous (most people weren't sure which so they avoided him). On a whim, I went in to the place, ordered him a meal and brought it out to him along with my extra pack of cigarettes & a tenner.

He started crying and wishing me every blessing under the sun. I could see in his eyes that he had lost all faith in his fellow man and he saw me as some sort of angel of mercy. I just gave him a thumbs up and said "It's a rough world; we've all gotta stick together Pal."

I'm sure the little thing I did had a profound effect on him in restoring his faith in his fellow man and he remembers it still, but I'm not sure that he's aware of the more profound effect it had on me, as I not only still remember it, but it makes me cry even as I write this.

Most of us won't even look at those whom society has abandoned, nor think when we see them that "There but for the Grace of God go I." We'd rather just "give at the office." The restoration of faith in others that he experienced that day came at the cost of my own, because that was the day I lost a lot of faith in my fellow man.