Where do you donate money and how do you evaluate for efficacy?
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Anonymous
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I've been chasing my tail for a few months trying to find an org that helps in a very specific way. I found one org that claims to do what I want to help with, but then when you actually click through to their donation page they make it clear that this is about "awareness" and "supporting the mission" (so, paying "activists" to post on twitter) not actually paying bail bonds.
Having been moderately involved with a couple of nonprofits I"m pretty cynical at this point. Anyone feel confident the org they're donating to isn't squandering the money? |
Anonymous
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this is a good website
https://www.givewell.org/ |
Anonymous
| I give locally to orgs that I know know do good work because I see them in action, where I would be welcome to visit and observe if I wished, and where I know the staff aren't making huge salaries. I do think administrative overhead and salaries are legitimate expenses. If an org can pay a good communications person in part because of the money you give them, they can raise more money, which can then go to pay for the bail bonds. If you find an org that does the work, but you want to make sure all of your money goes directly to a client, you can ask to do a directed or pass through donation-so they way until they have a client with a need that meets your giving criteria, then you write the check and they direct the money to that individual's bail bond (for example). You could email or call this org and see if that's an option. |
Anonymous
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If I am giving a larger amount of money I may try to meet with the development staff or a board member. I also prefer to give to places where I've had experience (like a college I attended, an animal shelter where I've adopted a pet, or a place I've volunteered). Obviously this is not always possible, especially for organizations operating overseas. Looking closely at their websites, social media, and 990 tax forms can help. The catalog for philantropy also vets place quite closely...I was on the board of an org that applied for inclusion and I know how much info we had to supply!
Not sure exactly what you're looking for, but here is a list of funds that pay people's bail or bonds: https://brooklynbailfund.org/nbfn-directory |
Anonymous
| I only donate to orgs I have a personal connection with. I have very limited funds for donation (like ~250/year) and I know that my donation is nothing more than a token of support, so I'm not worried about efficacy. |
Anonymous
Same here. I'm a teacher with 3 kids. I donate to PBS, Capital Area Food Bank and a few others. |
Anonymous
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I am a huge fan of Give Directly: www.givedirectly.org
We donate monthly. Give Directly literally gives cash directly to some of the most impoverished households in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. It also conducts randomized controlled trials to measure the impact and the effectiveness of the approach. The idea is that your money will do the most good--you'll get the most bang for your donated buck--where households are most impoverished (i.e., not the US). It is one of the top-rated charities by Give Well, which conducts in-depth analyses of charities to assess their impact. If Give Directly doesn't appeal, I would check out other Give well charities. |
Anonymous
| I agree with a PP about reading 990s & that Catalogue for Philanthropy does a lot of vetting (if you are local to DC). You can also always designate your gift, ie say "I wish for this not to be used for communications but for direct relief to clients trying to pay their bail" or whatever. |
Anonymous
Please don’t restrict your gift. NPOs need people, marketing, etc. to run. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/nov/10/case-for-unrestricted-giving |
Anonymous
Okay fine I get that. But all my law school classmates at nonprofits are damn bums, which is why reading 990s and stuff is not gonna cut it folks. I'm not talking about $250 I'm talking about more like $25,000. |
Anonymous
If you are going to give, just give. Don’t put conditions on your gift. |
Anonymous
Sorry to hear that. The lawyers at my nonprofit work 60 hours a week for less than an undergrad would make elsewhere. |
Anonymous
| What cause are you thinking about supporting OP? For example, I donate to disaster relief/medical crisis issues and I read the news and can see from articles sometimes which NGOs and relief organizations get on the ground fastest and to the hardest hit areas and who gets hammered for crazy inefficient spending (ex: typically the Red Cross). I like Doctors without Borders which works everywhere, even conflict zones most NGOs won't touch. For local DC area charities, I like Martha's Table and the Homeless Children's Playtime Project, but mostly because I've volunteered at both organizations and I can see they do good work for myself. |
Anonymous
I guess that’s the other side of my issue. Where I have volunteered/been pro bono counsel, I’ve found issues that have alarmed me. But it’s been pretty limited to legal services orgs. Maybe I need to get outside that box. |
Anonymous
Dammit I wish instead of admitting you work there you’d claimed to be a donor and told me where it was. |