Volunteering time and/or donating money

[screen_play]

What do you think are the best causes to support, and why are they important?

There are many good works to choose from. Do you help people far away, people who are close, future people, little people, suffering people...?

I have been dipping a toe into the sea of good works (by giving small amounts to organizations or friends' pledge drives) and now

Comments

[fugitivepeas]

I've given a lot of thought to this over the years. I have a budget for the year for charity donations. Taking out 'the usual' donations [programs I have supported over the years], I have a decent amount to play with. Most of the time I'll donate to causes that are directly linked to friends, like if someone were doing the AIDS walk, charity luncheon, etc. I also donate a lot to the arts in the form of museum memberships. These are great because they're tax deductible, support something I believe in, and provide me entertainment. When I'm feeling like going out to do something, but don't want to spend a bunch of money or think too hard about it I usually end up at the Science Museum -- I've prepaid [sort of] and I always love going there.

I also try to consciously donate to a few new charities each year. When they ask for money again next year, I will donate if I feel like they have made a positive impact. Most charities will send you updates on their activities at least once a year. I love reading these things. There is some balance of research and some gut feelings you want to go with. I recently heard of a charity that was taking tons of money and the lead guy was using the money to fund his book promotion. Boooo. You can also check their web sites to see if they're updating things frequently. Charities that ONLY send letters to ask for more money I forget about [ahem, St. Jude].

You can also support charities with your donations too. I usually give my stuff to Community Thrift - you can specify a beneficiary of the stuff they sell. I just went to SCRAP for the first time [ http://www.scrap-sf.org/about/mission-history ] and I am smitten. There are also charities that help people find jobs take your professional-type clothes or toiletries.

Increasingly, I have been donating to local [to california] charities because I feel they have the most immediate impact to the community. Some natural disaster will happen every year, so find a charity that does good international work. Political causes also take a chunk of my money, and they're not considered tax deductible. I believe we vote every day with our actions - where we throw our garbage, what foods/services we buy, what charities and political agenda we support.

Charity selection is deeply personal and an evolving process. I think over time you will see a pattern in what types of charities you donate to. Those are your BIG causes. Turns out I'm very fond of education, arts & science, and opportunity-building.