Community Chat

[reiki604]

Throughout. the year I attend 3-4 'Chinese" Auctions. At these auctions, for the Local hospital Auxillary, charitablle organizations,  houses of worship etc, where you bid for items by putting a ticket with your name on it in bags representing different items. Instead of writing my name over and over and over, I put these address stickers on my tickets. This way I use up most of the stickers and save hand cramping   When I do win Items, I donate them to another organization for inclusion in their auction.

[Mary Bailey]

We get animal charity requests constantly -addressed to my FIL- (deceased more than a decade & he used to live next door, not with us)

[febe1]

Every donation seems to be shared with the world.

Would you believe I have TWO boxes filled with "gifts" that come with every solicitation?

It's a shame, b/c I've cut down on donations just b/c of this.

[occasionalrain]

There are small animal rescue groups run entirely by volunteers. Some are dog breed specific, another rescues horses, others trap neuter return and feed feral cats . I donate to them. 

[RedTop]

My donations are to local groups only.  

[chessylady]

With so many people out of work and having trouble feeding their families, I donate to two chairaties that provide food, one local and one nationwide. I also donate to the local SPCA and to environmental causes. This is going to be a tough Christmas for many so donate whatever you can. It is sure to be appreciated.

[shoekitty]

we donate quite a bit gladly. However, I have pretty much the same groups I am affiliated with.  I have checked them out online at the charity site.  One thing I have found, Ido not donate to AsACP, or National Cancer Society, March of Dimes etc, as an example ... or larger National organizations. Their costs are very high. Just look at advertising for ASAPCA alone. I have smaller groups, and specialized groups I am affiliated with. Along with my social causes.   This is what I do, but we all have our causes and reasons for donating. 

[jlkz]

To all the posters of this thread re: sequential requests for additional donations.

I know they are in ever-increasing need, so I decided to give a decent year end donation.  However, I created file folders for the most frequents requesters and will accumulate about 6 months' worth of their 2026 requests and then mail them back the stack.  I will then advise them if they continue this barrage, they will no longer receive anything.

Will let folks here know how it goes....

PS:  One charity I told that if they send me another request, they will be deleted from my estate.  They must be listening....and they are still in my will.

[AuntG]

Just wrote a check to a charity today, and absolutely agree with @occasionalrain. I get so many requests, and can't give to them all. I make use of the notepads, and cards they send, but can't possibly use all those address labels!

[AuntG]

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@Spurt wrote:

Search for The Charity Navigator website which shows charity metrics for an organization. For example what a charity spends on mailings/fund raising and what a charity's Administer makes under Financial Metrics data and there's other important financial info too just scroll down the page. I usually send charities an email telling them not to add me to future mailing lists and do not share my info with other charities either. 

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Thank you for this information. I hope to use it in the future @Spurt . So happy my check is going to a 4 star organization with a rating of 97%. I wonder if any non-profits get 100%.