Phone Solicitations - Lakes Region

[songkrai]

I just received a telephone donation solicitation for Breast Cancer.

A noble cause indeed.

I asked what percentage of my donation would go to the Breast Cancer entity.

5%. Five percent of my donation would go to breast cancer help and research and the private solicitation company gets 95% of my donation.

OK. This is capitalism. And "helping" breast cancer.

But really. Are any here in the Lakes Region falling for this?

[ITD]

Sorry, I don't consider that capitalism, I think it is fraud.

[SteveA]

Lot's of info on charities with a few simple Goggle" searches:

Here are two sites:

The bad ones: (some of these will surprise you.. alot!!!)

http://www.tampabay.com/americas-worst-charities/

The Good ones:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/charities.asp

[dickiej]

Well.......SOMEONE has to pay for the directors BMW! Seriously, I stopped donating to charities for exactly this reason and just give my church a larger donation. I know my pastor doesn't drive a BMW!

[Crusty]

I've found a loophole that I'm sure some "charities" are using to make it look like they're spending less on fundraising than they really are.

When you read reports on various charities, they are frequently ranked by the amount of money that goes to "program expenses" as opposed to administrative and fundraising costs. I've noticed that a number of main-stream charities include "education" as part of their program. I've also noticed that each of the many fund requests I receive in the mail contain some sort of "educational" flyer. Guess what. This allows them to categorize their fundraising mailing as an "educational program expense".

This was a disappointing and depressing discovery.

My donations now go to a very few charities that I have carefully screened. I suggest looking at local causes, ones with volunteer fundraisers, and church-affiliated charities.

[SteveA]

Originally Posted by Crusty

My donations now go to a very few charities that I have carefully screened. I suggest looking at local causes, ones with volunteer fundraisers, and church-affiliated charities.

Great post! I agree 100%. The majority of our donations go to the Gilford Community Church and the Gilford Youth Center. With 4 full time employees and 100's of volunteers, these two organizations do a great job.

http://gilfordcommunitychurch.org/gcc/mission.asp

http://www.gilfordyouthcenter.com/about-us.html

[BroadHopper]

Originally Posted by Crusty

My donations now go to a very few charities that I have carefully screened. I suggest looking at local causes, ones with volunteer fundraisers, and church-affiliated charities.

My company developed this strategy and proud of it despite accusations from well known charities that we are not fair. If the administrative costs exceed 13% we will not donate. I would actually look at the details of the administrative costs and if the costs are spend wisely, I would donate.

[bclaker]

Less than a week ago I got a request from the Salvation Army. It came from out of state, but said for Laconia. The Salvation Army is one of the organizations I donate to a couple times a year, so I sent a check. Yesterday I got a request from the local Laconia Salvation Army. Now I'm wondering if the first bone was legitimate.

[Newbiesaukee]

I will not donate to any organizations calling me. I sometimes ask them to send me literature but they rarely do. If they do, I consider donating after some fact checking.

[Flylady]

Most reputable non profits are rated by "Charity Navigator". This independent agency rates non profits based on several factors, and lists how much of the fund raising is spent on the cause and what the actual fundraising expenses are.
Before you decide to donate look up the non profit in this website.

charitynavigator.org/

[MeredithMan]

This is a topic of special meaning to my family and me. Our son has been dealing with cancer for 8 of his 15 years, and we have witnessed the whole spectrum of good and bad charities. The large, national/international groups such as American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen, etc., are great at raising awareness and raising huge sums of money. Many others, unfortunately, are ignorant of the true needs of the very people they are claiming to aid, and at worst, are unscrupulous frauds out for their own enrichment.

In our experience, the local, all-volunteer charitable groups have the greatest impact on those in need. We are forever grateful to a group in Boston that raises money to provide free housing to families of pediatric cancer patients who are undergoing weeks and/or months of treatment at Mass General. Our son has had the chance to be a kid again at an annual, no-cost, all-volunteer summer camp for kids with cancer, and whose counselors are all pediatric cancer survivors themselves. Lastly, we have experienced the kindness of one of Boston's professional athletes, who befriended our son several years ago, regularly hangs out with him, and has started a foundation and donated several hundred thousand dollars to New England pediatric hospitals.

As others have posted before me in this string, whether it is the local church, food pantry, or group helping those with a life-threatening illness, it is the local, all-volunteer charitable groups that make the most meaningful contributions in the community and in peoples' lives.

MM

[Happy Gourmand]

As a grandfather of a granddaughter with cancer for 3 of her 5 years, I agree 100% with MeredithMan. The locals are the folks who get my donations. Make a Wish is an especially great organization. There are many others worthy of my money too. I will never donate as a result of a telephone solicitation.