<p>The web site DonorsChoose <a href=“http://www.donorschoose.org”>http://www.donorschoose.org</a> allows you to review grant requests from teachers and purchase directly for a specific request. You can choose school districts in your area or anywhere in the US and buy books for a classroom, a field trip- lots of needs in our public schools now. It’s great to get thank you notes from the kids and teachers too, makes the donation feel very personal.
Another recommendation for Charity Navigator too.</p>
<p>Our favorite charity for small donations is Nothing But Nets partnered through the United Nations Foundation. For just $10 they provide an insecticide-treated bed net to a family in Africa to prevent malaria. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nothingbutnets.net/”>http://www.nothingbutnets.net/</a></p>
<p>In 2006, Rick Reilly wrote about the need for bed nets in his back-cover column in Sports Illustrated. I wish I could find it because it was so eloquent it sparked a movement that is still going strong. </p>
<p>For just $80 you can buy a year long pass to all our National Parks. Everyone in the car gets in free then. Or if you live near just one local national park, you can buy a year long pass to that one for less. I’ve gifted the gift of our national parks a few times. People really like it. </p>
<p>I was glad to learn of Charity Navigators and was also glad to know that one of my charity recipients The Yosemite Conservancy was highly rated. They protect habitat, rehabilitate areas, maintain trails, and have youth education programs. </p>
<p>At 62 you get a lifetime pass for the national parks for free!</p>
<p>Actually, it’s $10. But it is good for life and gets all people in the vehicle in for free. </p>
<p>I donate to charity:water, and to Friendly Water for the world.
Also to my kids schools and local non profits. Conservation Northwest.</p>
<p>I have decent furniture that I can’t get anyone to take because it has to be assembled. We have a new ikea corner desk from my D who just graduated college, and it had to be partially disassembled to move it. We also have a steel painted loft bed frame that has been disassembled for storage.
Goodwill will take beat up wooden furniture because it is all in one piece.
They did say if I put it together in their parking lot they would take it, but I would have needed help holding it up.</p>
<p>I’m all for lots of charitable giving, but I don’t consider a donation to a charity of the giver’s choice to be a “gift” to a third party. Also, I don’t want charitable donations made in my name to charities that I did not choose because it implies an endorsement. It doesn’t matter for small amounts but I wouldn’t be happy to be listed as a donor in, say, an annual report for a charitable donation I didn’t make.</p>
<p>Check the websites of charities you are considering helping to see if they have a wish list. The Humane Society where I volunteer has a wish list that recently requested large Kuranda dog beds. I was able to follow the link to the vendor, place an order for three beds and have them shipped directly to the shelter. At least I know that my gift of a tangible item that has been requested will go directly to the dogs without administrative deductions.</p>
<p>I love the National Park pass idea! </p>
<p>#25. I would add that this sort of gift also comes with years worth of junk mail soliciting more donations. I wish that charities didn’t waste paper and send out so many pieces of junk mail, which I am getting a lot of this time of year.</p>
<p>i LOATHE having people give to charities in my name. One reason is that in Tatin’s post #29. It gets me onto the mailing list of a charity and it’s impossible to get off. </p>
<p>The other is that I don’t LIKE some of the charities. I really feel strongly about one and those feelings are negative. Not only does the charity have a horrible rating from Charity Navigator, I personally disagree with the underlying cause. So, getting lots of solicitation mail from it isn’t a “gift” at all.</p>
<p>If you want to give $ to charity, give to a cause that the donor believes in. If someone battled breast cancer, give to that cause. If someone enjoys PBS–donate to that. A friend’s dad grew up dirt poor. She gave money to the Fresh Air Fund, because she had heard his stories about how the couple of weeks he spent with another family each summer was the best experience he had as a child. He was so touched when he opened the gift that he cried. THAT is a gift. </p>
<p>But giving to a worthy cause YOU favor in the name of other people and calling it a “gift” drives me up a wall. The friend I talked about above asks all of her friends to donate to a specific cause she believes in–and which is non-controversial.That’s fine. </p>
<p>So, I think it would be fine to tell the members of your extended family that you would prefer that they give something to your favorite charity instead of GETTING something FROM them. Giving to your favorite charity and calling it a gift TO them is not, IMO. </p>
<p>Hadn’t heard of Giving Tuesday at all, thank you for that link. We tried asking for donations -in-lieu of gifts but it was roundly criticized as “no fun”. And that’s okay, people see things differently, I get what you’re saying but I would hope to choose a charity that matched my family’s interests: they are mostly teachers and professional musicians. </p>
<p>Why not just give them gifts? Because we are lower middle class with limited means, so anything I buy them would be a small token that will go straight to Goodwill, I’ve seen it happen. I shop and overspend and I lie awake trying to think of something “good” ---- and feel like I can’t spend my whole adult life being bullied into seeing gift giving a way that makes no sense to me. OTOH, it’s not inaccurate to say that I’m attempting to give a gift (the charity donation) they don’t want. Like an ugly sweater. </p>
<p>I like Physicians for Peace (<a href=“http://physiciansforpeace.org”>http://physiciansforpeace.org</a>). It is similar to Doctors Without Borders and also has an overall score of 92.31 on Charity Navigator, which is slightly higher than Doctors. Both organizations provide emergency medical care and humanitarian relief in the developing world, but PFP also has an education component and provides training and education to health care professionals. Their slogan is “Teach One. Heal Many.”</p>
<p>If I had to give to a charity/non-profit, I would consider donating to bestfriends.org, the animal sanctuary where some of Michael Vick’s dogs were court-ordered for rehab. They have an awesome organization out in Utah, and a shelter in LA as well. </p>
<p>In reply to post #33…and 76.3% of the $ it raises actually goes to programs. Not great. It’s not horrible either, but…while admitting that this cause isn’t one that would be on my top 10 list, I wouldn’t knowingly give to ANY charity when $2.50 out of every $10 I gave went to administration and fundraising. (Info is from charitynavigator.Overall score is 87.3) </p>
<p>Thanks for the info @jonri, I didn’t know about charitynavigator. I will make sure to take a look at that. </p>
<p>Jonri…it only gets you on a mailing list if the donor gives YOUR address. We don’t do that.</p>
<p>Interesting! From the organization I shall not name, I got a card stating that a donation had been made in my honor by ____ directly from the charity. it definitely got me on its mailing list. </p>
<p>Yes…because the person making the donation asked that a note be sent to you.</p>
<p>We NEVER do that. We make the donation, and then WE send a card to the family members.</p>
<p>Yes, you can request the donation be anonymous or in the name of X but that NOTHING be mailed to X, or whatever terms you prefer.</p>