Do you ever donate money to causes?
By The Horse
@TheHorse (220266)
Walnut Creek, California
March 28, 2019 1:59pm CST
If I'm out taking a smoke break, and a poor person asks me for a cigarette, I'll give them one if I have more than a half a pack left.
When I worked at a mother-and-child drug rehab program years ago, I wrote and received a $500 Grant to buy musical instruments for the kids in the program.
The program director (herself a recovering drug addict) "stole" most of the money, and I only got to buy about $75 worth of musical instruments for the kids.
Since then, I have been hesitant about "donating" money to "causes." I'm never sure where my money is going.
But I do occasionally send a small donation to the College (Grinnell) and the University (UCSB) I attended, and I also occasionally send a small donation to KCSM, the only remaining jazz radio station in the Bay Area, and to KDFC, the only remaining classical music radio station in the Bay Area.
Do you ever donate money to charities or causes? Do you ever worry, as I do, that you money is just going into a vortex, and will never do anyone any good?
26 people like this
27 responses
@Daljinder (23236)
• Bangalore, India
28 Mar 19
For my family, it is a religious thingy to give back to the community. There isn't much organization that we trust for donation. So, we give it to our Gurudwara (Sikh temples) which make sure it reaches where it is needed. Feeding the poor is one of the highest services we do to humanity.
8 people like this
@Daljinder (23236)
• Bangalore, India
28 Mar 19
That is also valued @TheHorse. A smile can go a long way too. It is about what you can give to the betterment of humanity. It does not have to be monetary.
3 people like this
@Daljinder (23236)
• Bangalore, India
28 Mar 19
@kepweng All major Sikh temples give free food 24/7 to anyone who is visiting. There is free accommodation for visitors as well as long as the rooms are not occupied already.
2 people like this
@FayeHazel (40243)
• United States
28 Mar 19
I'm with you. I just don't trust organizations when so many of the big ones have been accused/proven that someone pockets the cash. Sorry that happened with the kid's music charity you contributed to :/
3 people like this
@TheHorse (220266)
• Walnut Creek, California
29 Mar 19
@KlyliePot Yes, really. Then, after she had been fired for embezzling funds from the program where I worked, I learned that she had won an award for Outstanding (name ethnicity here) Woman in Her Community. All I could do was shake my head and sigh.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40243)
• United States
29 Mar 19
@TheHorse I'd be curious the other stuff you've seen
2 people like this
@ptrikha_2 (47079)
• India
29 Mar 19
I have donated to a few NGOs like CRY, WaterAid India, HelpAge India and a few more but not very big amounts!
2 people like this
@ptrikha_2 (47079)
• India
1 Apr 19
@Shiva49 yes such organizations are doing good work!
2 people like this
@Torunn (8607)
• Norway
28 Mar 19
I donate to Amnesty and SOS Children's villages every month. I'm pretty sure the money goes to the people that actually need it, some of it'll have to go to administration as both organisations are quite big.
I usually give donate some money to the Salvation army before Christmas, the local branch, as they use the money they get in the Christmas collection directly for food etc for the homeless. It's quite cold here in the winter so they need somewhere to eat and get warm
2 people like this
@ptrikha_2 (47079)
• India
1 Apr 19
@Torunn good for some nice causes and I hope the money is spent for the right purpose.
@Torunn (8607)
• Norway
29 Mar 19
@TheHorse The Salvation army has a quite big house. I think there'd be shelters there, in some cases they have opened churches and other public places for the homeless in the winter.
Not so much here, the weather is actually too bad to be homeless, but in the Oslo-area they have to make shelters every year 'cause there are people coming in from other areas in Norway and they have no idea about the weather here.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342110)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Mar 19
I have loaned several amounts to a group called Kiva. I wrote about it here. The money is slowly being paid back and when it is, I'll loan it to someone else. We don't donate to big groups any more. It's more likely to be smaller individuals or groups that we have better knowledge of.
3 people like this
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
31 Mar 19
occasionally.usually cats.
more often to friends go fund me's.
1 person likes this
@marguicha (223795)
• Chile
29 Mar 19
I have to know wxactly where the money will go as I have had bad experiences.
2 people like this
@FourWalls (69030)
• United States
29 Mar 19
There's a no-kill shelter here in town that I give aluminum cans to and buy kitty litter for. I've never heard anything bad about money given to them.
When I worked at the post office they did a high-pressure push on the "Combined Federal Campaign," and that's when people started learning that "charities" were spending 50-80% of the donations on "administrative costs." To this day some still participate in that scheme ("Wounded Warriors" has such a terrible reputation that I don't think Mother Teresa could have run it properly and restored it).
My take is pretty simple: God knows my heart, and knows why I'm giving. If people are stealing from Him, then they have to answer for it, not me.
2 people like this
@Shiva49 (26776)
• Singapore
29 Mar 19
I have an arrangement with my bank to pay a small amount every month to a few charities.
Then I donate to some others every year.
I take care that the charities are genuine but I know all my donations might not reach the intended beneficiary.
I am now retired but I would like to maintain these donations as long as I can - siva
2 people like this
@Shiva49 (26776)
• Singapore
29 Mar 19
@TheHorse Yes, it has happened a couple of times.
Recently I donated responding to an appeal to help a bereaved family.
Later they denied asking for any help.
When contacted, the arranger had the cheek to reply they would use whatever collected for some needy purpose! siva
1 person likes this
@acelawrites (19272)
• Philippines
28 Mar 19
Yes, during those days that we are earning; but now not so much because we depend on pension only. But we still make small donations to people we trust.
2 people like this
@everwonderwhy (7376)
•
29 Mar 19
No, I don't. But my husband, when approached by homeless people, he invites them into a grocery store, or into a restaurant, and he asks them what they need (food) for the day. And then, my hubby pays for the purchases.
1 person likes this
@everwonderwhy (7376)
•
31 Mar 19
@TheHorse Btw,we fid support a child in the Philippines, from age 7-18 through IN International Needs. He communicated with us through letters. My daughters and I responded to his letters.
@ihasaquestion (8275)
•
29 Mar 19
If I have more, I will always try to make it a point to help the needy. I really feel for kids having not enough money to buy textbooks and etc..
1 person likes this
@MainerMikeBrown (1373)
• Bridgton, Maine
28 Mar 19
Instead of donating money to charities or causes, I perform volunteer work to help society.
1 person likes this
@andriaperry (117146)
• Anniston, Alabama
29 Mar 19
I am only doing St. Jude`s now and I am behind on giving the, a monthly donation. The thought of those poor babies suffering with cancer gets me. Tht is why I get so mad when I hear there is a cure but the FDA won`t release it.
1 person likes this
@responsiveme (22926)
• India
29 Mar 19
I donate but to small groups and to people I know who need it. Instead of giving money outright I pay the school fees among other things...One doesn't have to look far to help.
And it doesn't always have to be money
1 person likes this
@thedevilinme (4157)
• Northampton, England
29 Mar 19
Most big charities have 15 million in the bank and a business. Small charities only for me
1 person likes this
