Being somewhat wealthy; I get solicitations from many charities( or supposed charities) I also get outright insulting letters from some when I do not support their cause or give them money. I don't know about you; but I believe in charity; but do not give money to any charity that I personally did not solicit or approach. This is because a few years ago, I found out that most "charities" keep 70 to 80 percent of each dollar as "administrative expenses". Sorry, that is unacceptable to me. Do you have any horror stories?

IF YOU DONATED TO THE RED CROSS in hopes it would help the WTC victims...THEY DIDN'T GET IT!

EDITORIAL • November 13, 2001

Red Cross caught red-handed

First came the disheartening news that the American Red
Cross was slow to distribute relief funds to the families
affected by the attacks of September 11. Then came the
distressing news that the relief funds were being used for
programs unrelated to September 11. Now, the most
shocking news of all: America's No. 1 blood bank might
destroy tens of thousands of pints of donated blood because
of greed and mismanagement.
IF YOU DONATED TO THE RED CROSS

Supposedly they changed their position and I let it go, but, what really happened???????????

Thank you, I.C. Years ago in the 80's, I worked for a company that was big on yearly United Way charity drives. There have been numerous accounts of executives diverting millions of dollars to their own personal accounts since then.
I now give money to local charities in other forms. For instance, there is a restaurant in town that gives 50% off to military personnel- active and retired. All they need do is show a military ID. I have great respect for the people who serve our country past and present and guarantee the very freedoms that have allowed me to achieve what I have. I met with the owner of this restaurant recently when I found out about this and now foot the other 50%. I think this was a very good idea on the part of this restaurant owner. People like this I have the utmost respect for!

I'm an old asshole and quit giving to "charities", "churches" etc! till 911, giving to any charity, and after the fiasco, I give to people on the street! That don't ask! I am in the habit of buying them food instead of giving them money, a lesson I have learned. I am not a perfect person! I don't care I do what I can!

If you are of a mind to give to charity and would like to be sure that your money is being spent more for the actual cause than for administrative costs there are several watchdog organizations that can help you out. You might want to check out the websites below.


Welcome to Give.org

A to Z Charity Listing

Charity Navigator - America's Largest Charity Evaluator

I don't have any particular horror stories, but I can say that I am very picky about those I choose to donate to. I do donate 10% of my pay, and I also donate a lot of my time as a volunteer. But I research those I support.

What I always wonder about is the people who collect money on street corners (not the homeless). I know here in Philly we always see groups of teens, or random people with buckets asking for donations for all manners of charities. They approach you at the stop light, and they have a flyer on the bucket, but there is never enough time to read the flyer. I often give some change, but I have seen people give 20's... I have always wondered how often these people just split the money among themselves at the end of the day...

I'm not sure exactly how you meant that; but being careful about how you spend your money doesn't make you an asshole, sir, it makes you smart. I am also big on supporting food drives instead of actual money given. True, sometimes I have helped people financially, (like the time I paid for an elderly woman's prescription at my local pharmacy because she did not have enough money.) I just prefer not to allow my money to be used for other than what I had intended it for. Nowadays, these charity frauds seem to be happening with alarming frequency. Are we so corrupt that now we must commit fraud and embezzle money intended for the needy to achieve our monetary and material desires?

Volunteeering one's time in support of a cause is as good as giving money- sometimes better as it cannot be stolen or embezzled.
I sometimes have to deal with political red tape in certain situations. I was once told that to help replace playground equipment in a local park and have a baseball field put in, I had to give the money to the city; and they would have to decide which contractors to use by bid process. They figured a turnaround time of approximately one year from start to finish.
That's just the sort of political BS that gets me so upset. I actually looked at buying a nice parcel of land; and having one built myself. My lawyer talked me out of it. He explained that as a private owned property open for use by the public- I would be forced to provide all sorts of insurance in case some child got injured.The lawyer then explained other sorts of liability I could face if drugs happened to get sold on my property. That turned my head.
I will stick with the food drives and the free meals for military personnel at the restaurant for now. I just get so upset (polite word here) that something so seemingly harmless could be strangled political and legal red tape.