If you're like us, your mail box is full of requests for donations to various charities, research programs, etc. And, like us, you may want to help many of these worthy organizations. But in this past year, I've noticed that we keep receiving some that look very similar. They are for different groups, but they look exactly the same. They are about 1/2 page...maybe a little larger and they have the tear-off sides with the holes. There are 3 copies -- a white, a yellow and a pink. Some are for cancer research, some for Alzheimer's and some for heart disease. I was curious as to why they all looked the same. And they all say, in big red letters, "Annual Fund Drive Voluntary Reply Form" at the top.One way Jerry and I have chosen to decide who to send money to is to check and see what percentage of the donations received actually goes to the cause; assistance, research, etc. and how much goes to administration. When I turned these suspicious looking ones over and read the fine print on the back, I was shocked! The Alzheimer's one, for instance, says that of the $4,601,433 they raised last year, 4.70% went to program services. 4.70%!!!! Most of it...$70.80% went to fundraising. They will not be getting a penny from me. Similarly, the one for breast cancer research said that of their $10,369,290 raised, only 4.77% went to research program services -- and the one for Heart Support of America admitted that of their $3,898,479 they spent 12.63% on program services. Theirs was a little better, but by the time I read that I felt I may need the free heart attack first aid kit they were offering to send!
Out of curiosity I started looking around the web and found a very interesting site: 
http://www.quackwatch.com/ by a Dr. Stephen Barrett, MD. He talks specifically about the organization behind these letters -- Project Cure. They are actually supporting a group of lobbyists in Washington who want the government to fund alternative cures. It's quite interesting if you want to check it out.
http://www.quackwatch.com/ by a Dr. Stephen Barrett, MD. He talks specifically about the organization behind these letters -- Project Cure. They are actually supporting a group of lobbyists in Washington who want the government to fund alternative cures. It's quite interesting if you want to check it out.Another web site I urge you to check out is www.bbb.org/charity-reviews/national . All charities a
re listed alphabetically, so looking one up is quick and easy. Click on the one you want to know about and there will be lots of information about them. Scroll down and there will be a pie chart that clearly shows how much of their money goes to programs. Alzheimer's' Foundation of American, for instance, spends 85% on programs (compare that to 4.70% as listed above!). One of my favorites is America's Second Harvest. They give 98% of their raised funds to provide food for the needy. Can't beat that. I think they have changed their name to Feeding America...but it's the same organization.
re listed alphabetically, so looking one up is quick and easy. Click on the one you want to know about and there will be lots of information about them. Scroll down and there will be a pie chart that clearly shows how much of their money goes to programs. Alzheimer's' Foundation of American, for instance, spends 85% on programs (compare that to 4.70% as listed above!). One of my favorites is America's Second Harvest. They give 98% of their raised funds to provide food for the needy. Can't beat that. I think they have changed their name to Feeding America...but it's the same organization.If there is no pie chart, they may not have received all that information yet and sometimes they will direct you to a website and you can find it there. It's amazing the number of charities that are out there and you can give to whatever touches your heart. I'm just on my soapbox today to encourage you to spend your charitable contributions wisely.
1 comment:
Thanks for the link to the charity organizations. We give to CaringBridge because we have a friend whose child has a terrible disease and CaringBridge allows them to keep everyone up to date at the same time. I was delighted to find they give 80% to programs!!
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