Thursday 22 December 2016

Giving to Charity

At Christmas I always like to give some money to charity and for many years I chose a cancer charity or a charity near to home.   But this year the plight of so many children all over the world has on many occasions moved me to tears and I feel I could better support a charity which helps these children.

I think of all those tragic families fleeing Aleppo - the news shots of them were so heart-rending and we never saw the worst of it all.   And then there are the children suffering in the civil war in Yemen; I still cannot forget the sight of a little chap of about eight who had lost all his extended family of twenty four and had been rescued and was being cared for by a neighbour.

But now the difficult task of choosing the charity. When I read of the enormous salaries paid to the Directors of some of the major charities I begin to question what they are spending my money on.   I am sure the people in charge could present a good argument as to why such a lot of money goes on such things but I am still not sure.

Also I remember some years ago giving money to a charity sending books and pencils and crayons to impoverished schools somewhere in Africa -I can't remember the name of the charity or the country involved - but I remember reading later that the materials never reached the schools but were stolen at the point of landing to be sold on.

I already give on direct debit to Great Ormond Street Hospital to assist in the building of a new wing for the parents of terminally ill children.   I also support Save the Children.   Am I supporting the right charities?

I have been really looking into this for a week or two because Elizabeth (About New York) is knitting me an elf hat for my new great grand-daughter and wants me to give money to a childrens' charity for it (it is on its way).   At present I seem to be coming down in favour of
Medicin sans Frontiere, which seems to be doing such marvellous work.


Has anybody out there got any ideas please?

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

While I don't know about MSF's overhead costs, there is no doubt they do terrific work and I think they are well worth supporting.

Rachel Phillips said...

Medicins sans Frontieres was my choice before I even got to the end of your post and then saw that you named them yourself.

Maria said...

My family give to Medicine sans Frontieres and to Gino Strada's Emergency.
Greetings Maria x

justjill said...

I donate to a charity monthly in the North East of Scotland where I live which rescues wild and domestic animals of all kinds which for a variety of reasons need help. But where do you go? So many. And not much money when you are a pensioner

angryparsnip said...

I give to animal charities that are in Southern Arizona.
I know where the money goes and my son works at one of these.

cheers, parsnip

Bovey Belle said...

When my friend died recently I gave a good donation (in lieu of flowers) to a charity caring for animals in Egypt, where I knew that EVERY penny would help the animals, and a charity that my friend knew and approved of. I am sure that your donations will be used usefully.

Frances said...

Have you heard of shelter box.? I donate to them monthly. They provide a tent and everything necessary for living with a family when all is gone. Earthquake, war, flood etc etc. Even toys for the children.

Frances said...

Have you heard of shelter box.? I donate to them monthly. They provide a tent and everything necessary for living with a family when all is gone. Earthquake, war, flood etc etc. Even toys for the children.

Frances said...

Have you heard of shelter box.? I donate to them monthly. They provide a tent and everything necessary for living with a family when all is gone. Earthquake, war, flood etc etc. Even toys for the children.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Oxfam without question. They have learnt so much over the years and know how to use funds effectively. If all Oxfam employees were unpaid, the charity would be ineffective and amateurish. Over the years I have done a great deal to support Oxfam's good work and I urge others to help this noble charity that reaches the parts other charities cannot reach.

Alphie Soup said...

It's a very difficult decision, choosing which charity to support. I'm sure you'll find the right one which cares for children who have been injured/made homeless by this war.

Alphie

Cro Magnon said...

I give to Orbis. They have an equipped plane that flies around the world performing eye surgery. All the surgeons work for nothing, and all money goes on medical materials, equipment, and the cost of running the plane.

Derek Faulkner said...

I have mostly stopped giving to charities for the reasons that you quote, too many people earning a very well paid living from the charity. These days half the "homeless" people begging on the streets have decent homes to go back to each night. I simply support a couple of animal charities that I'm confident don't squander the money.

thelma said...

LS has been haunted by a young man he saw sitting in the trolley shelter of Morrisons, and charity at home is always welcome. Salvation Army, SFM of course every time, the 'White Helmets'of Syria, who have been there in the forefront of the battle looking after the people.
As for animal charities the RSPCA gives a breakdown of what they spend within their organisations, we do need more of that.

Heather said...

I think you have made good choices Pat. My husband always checks the salaries of charity bosses and avoids those who seem to be over paid. His favourite charity is SightSavers and mine are Combat Stress and the Royal Star and Garter Homes, in gratitude for their care of veterans and for our son coming home safe and sound. There are others on our list and I get a bit miffed by the number of other charities who seem to know our address - more and more asking for donations.

Jennyff said...

I donate monthly to local charity, Yorkshire Cancer Research and the Samaritans plus a few more at Christmas time. I too have misgivings about the money paid to the CEOs of charities, I don't disagree that they need to be paid but the whole business of paying the bosses a huge amount, in banks, industry etc as well as charity, just doesn't ring true for me. I also actually wonder how much of my money arrives where it is intended, but I will keep giving maybe just because I want to feel I'm doing something.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

The widespread cynicism about charities and their governance says more about the critics than the charities themselves. There's so much mythology, usually fuelled by ignorance. e.g. All homeless people have nice flats and all CEO's of leading charities drive fast cars and belong to the jetset. It is utter rubbish and it makes my blood boil.

Of course, in an ideal world there wouldn't be any charities as needs would be fulfilled through taxes and government organisations but while we are in an imperfect world we are, in my opinion, wrong to avoid charity giving because of ignorant mythology.

Our local children's hospice - Bluebell Wood would not be able to continue without charity giving. Of course the carers who work there need to receive salaries and the electricity bill needs paying and so on.

Tom Stephenson said...

We do the St Matrins in the Fields at Christmas. They don't employ loads of administrators on huge salaries as far as I know, but it is difficult to give to international children's charities without running the risk of keeping adults fat. Difficult.

Derek Faulkner said...

What makes your comments about the mythology that people believe when being critical about charities any more factual than those of us who have our doubts about supporting charities, YP. Do you have evidence that no money is ever wasted on excessive wages and administration then and I for one never used the word "all" when giving my reasons for not supporting charities. I was also not critical of other people's choice.

Anonymous said...

We give to Crisis at Christmas time but also support Eco charities during the year. It's a personal choice I guess x

Minigranny said...

School in a Bag is an excellent charity as it provides a child with a bag full of all the things they need to be able to attend school and you are given a number and follow the bag to the child who receives it.

Gwil W said...

We always give to Doctors Without Borders. We just received a nice Christmas card from them. It shows 3 cheerful boys proudly displaying their cholera vaccination certificates at Grace Centre in Zambia.

jinxxxygirl said...

We don't give money to charities Pat....Oh we give materials to Habitat for Humanity and shop with our money there sometimes... and we put a little in the kettle with the bell ringer at the store...We try to help people directly where we can and we see a need here local... I hope you find what your looking for but i have no way of directing you... We have said to ourselves we would like to support St. Jude one day ... We have done a half marathon where the proceeds went to Scottish Rites Childrens Hospital...Hugs! deb

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Dear Derek Faulkner,
You can believe in that sneering mythology if you want to. I prefer to believe in the goodness of charities, their noble motives and the selfless people who work for them. However, I would never support those plastic bag street collection agents who frequently make profit on the backs of charities. It is best to donate directly in my view. You ask me for "evidence" but where is your evidence for this nonsense..." too many people earning a very well paid living from the charity. These days half the "homeless" people begging on the streets have decent homes to go back to each night."? Such views are quite staggering in my judgement.
Happy Christmas!
Yorkshire Pudding

Derek Faulkner said...

In fairness to Pat's blog - best left that we don't agree.

The Weaver of Grass said...

What a diversity of views there are here. I suspect that if we were to get together there would probably be fur flying and one or two (who shall be nameless) seem to have started an argument.

I think I shall give to Medicins sans Frontieres = it seems to suit my purpost.
Thanks for your comments.

Frances said...

Dear Pat, I am late leaving a comment, but wanted to mention that I also donate to Doctors Without Borders. xo

jinxxxygirl said...

YP .. I must say not to agree or disagree with either of you but i have seen with my own two eyes a person begging on the corner then cross the street to a parking lot and climb into a very nice car indeed.... Thats why i never give money to someone begging on the corner.. I hand out a bottle of water and a granola bar....deb

thousandflower said...

We have supported a child through Save the Children for over 20 years. And when there is a disaster I usually go to MSF as they are usually on the ground.

Cynthia Washburn said...

If you like to knit or crochet you could make some items for orphans in South Africa via Knit a square. They post a list of received squares so I know they have been received (even though it can take 3 months from Canada). Also knit toys, hats and hand warmers. I like to feel I have a connection with the charities I support. Plus it is all volunteer.

Cynthia Washburn said...

If you like to knit or crochet you could make some items for orphans in South Africa via Knit a square. They post a list of received squares so I know they have been received (even though it can take 3 months from Canada). Also knit toys, hats and hand warmers. I like to feel I have a connection with the charities I support. Plus it is all volunteer.

Cynthia Washburn said...

If you like to knit or crochet you could make some items for orphans in South Africa via Knit a square. They post a list of received squares so I know they have been received (even though it can take 3 months from Canada). Also knit toys, hats and hand warmers. I like to feel I have a connection with the charities I support. Plus it is all volunteer.

UplayOnline said...

it seems to suit my purpost.



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