Thu 31 May 2007
faith, hope, & charity
Posted by bon under issue stuff
yes, May has apparently been meme month. i’m trying to cut down my consumption of memes (though i am enjoying using the word immensely, darling Dave) as well the contagion i spread to others, but to round out the month and hopefully step into June all pure and untagged, this particular chain letter seemed worthy. 
Plain Jane Mom tagged me for the Charity Meme. nine days ago. i’ve been letting it ripen.
the rules are simple - copy the list of charities and links (grab it from whomever tags you) and add your 5 favorite charities or non-profit organizations to the end (link to their sites with anchor text of the causes they champion). of course finish things off by tagging 5 other webmasters/bloggers and then publishing the post or the webpage.
now, i know charity is, by definition, a good cause. and i went to Sunday school as a little girl and memorized me some 1st Corinthians 13, which for those of you not carrying bits of the Christian New Testament around in your brain as slightly out-of-place cargo, runs along the lines of “faith, hope, and charity…and the greatest of these is charity.” seeing as i’m largely faithless and involved in a revolving up and down struggle with hope on some days, i generally figure i need to make a friend of charity. i’m blessed. i can share. i may be cheap, but i’m an easy touch.
so why does this charity meme, which is obviously well-intended and is working to pull together a fine list of good causes to which i might choose to donate money or time should i find myself so inclined, make me so uncomfortable?
i’m not sure. i think the word has perhaps been tainted for generations, and each layer of it adds confusion to what “charity” really means, what the societal good is, who deserves its fruits, and whether and what they owe those who contribute. plus a whole lot of other crap. it’s messy, charity. is it a yuppie salve? an excuse not to really get one’s hands dirty and help people? absolution for government or corporate or neighbourly negligence? necessary? a bane of the welfare state? just a way of sharing one’s blessings with a larger circle? i’ve given charity, i suppose, and have certainly been its recipient. sometimes, the giving has been done with condescension…charity can make one feel like trash, i know. or it can make one feel wrapped in a blanket of caring and safety that one couldn’t have woven oneself.
i like to think the difference might be love. later translations of 1st Corinthians 13 - those that use modern, not Shakespearean English - translate faith, hope, and charity as faith, hope, and love.
so here are five large-scale charities i support, with love & gratitude - either for having been there when i and my loved ones needed them, for being there in case i ever do, or for reminding me that there is a world outside my door and much to get down on my faithless knees and be thankful for.
1. Run for the Cure - Canadian cancer society, breast cancer
2. Medecins Sans Frontiers/Doctors without Borders - international humanitarian medical aid agency
3. World Vision - international children’s aid/sponsorship agency, promotes sustainable gifts of livestock, crops, and school supplies
4. March of Dimes - American organization for preventing premature birth and supporting preemies
…and lastly, and a little more personal & more timely…
5. the IWK Children’s Hospital - where Finn was born and where sweet/saltyKate’s twins are right now…the annual fundraising telethon is this weekend.
here’s the list thus far:
LDS Humanitarian Services – donate to charity
American Red Cross – emergency response
Wasatch Homeless Health Care Incorporated/4th Street Clinic – health care for the homeless
Newborns in Need – knitting for preemies
Habitat for Humanity - housing
American Red Cross - disaster relief
Raleigh Rescue Mission - homeless raleigh
SOS Children’s Villages - sponsor a child
Samaritan’s Purse - emergency relief programs
St. Jude Children’s Hospital - cancer research
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation - children with AIDS
Make a Wish Foundation - grant a child’s wish
Save the Children - children in poverty
Ronald McDonald House - helping sick children and families
Toys for Tots - toys for all kids
Run for the Cure - breast cancert
Medecins Sans Frontiers - humanitarian medical aid
World Vision - children’s aid and sponsorship
March of Dimes - preemies
IWK Children’s Hospital - kids’ health
i don’t want to tag for this one. i do want to see it continue…but i want participation to be voluntary. in my own little mind, charity works best that way. if you do take it up, gimme a nod and let me know. 
May 31st, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Doctors Without Borders is one of my favorites, too.
May 31st, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Doctors Without Borders and March of Dimes would be on my list too. In fact, I regularly harass my neighbors and leave them little envelopes for donations to March of Dimes. (Methinks they will be slightly relieved when we move in June!)
May 31st, 2007 at 3:14 pm
Cynic that I am, one of my main issues with charities is that some of them skim off large percentages of the contributions for salaries and other benefits for the people who run them, as well as excessive amounts for other operating expenses.
Some payments for the purpose of running the charity are clearly legitimate. However, at some point, you may feel that not enough of your money is reaching its intended recipients. And, of course, some “charities” (though generally not the big, well-known ones), are simply fraudulent, where most of the money goes to enrich the people who run them, with some small percentage trickling out to those in need.
I know there are lists of what percentage of contributions are actually paid out (as opposed to used by the charity itself), which you might want to take a look at before contributing.
May 31st, 2007 at 4:01 pm
Good on you.
There’s a charity or two up there that I support as well.
It’s my kiddies hospital fundraising weekend as well…Sigh.
May 31st, 2007 at 4:32 pm
“From charity to justice…” that’s a way of looking at it I always appreciated.
May 31st, 2007 at 7:25 pm
Worthy charities, all of them.
May 31st, 2007 at 7:41 pm
Good list–great meme.
May 31st, 2007 at 7:50 pm
I’d like to make some clarification on the whole “skimming off the top” notion that Niobe brought up.
I have spent the greater part of my life working for non-profit (US)organizations. My wages have always been meager, my work hours long, the challenges extreme. If you didn’t love the work, you’d be insane to stay in it.
But the reality is that you need *people* to run any organization or corporation– therefore salaries are a significant part of the budget. You can donate all you want for the intended recipients, but if there aren’t people there to administer the programs, the work simply doesn’t get done. Even volunteers are not free–you must have qualified staff to manage their work.
Yes, there is fraud in the nonprofit sector–as there is in every sector–but I honestly believe that the majority of money in the nonprofit sector is spent with real consideration of the intended goals.
And I’ve never seen any data (at least in the US) to support the assertion that the less-known organizations are more likely to be fraudulent than the larger, more well-known ones. I work almost exclusively with small organizations and I see pennies pinched until they scream and workers who could apply for the same services given to the clients (not paid a living wage, not able to afford housing, not given health care or other benefits purely for the purpose of “making sure the money goes to the intended recipients”.)
A friend of mine just wrote a great op-ed piece in the Chronicle of Philanthropy discussing the role of charities (I *detest* the term charity–it implies a “coins from the carriage” attitude that I find offensive and paternalistic). Check it out. It’s provocative, but makes very good points.
http://philanthropy.com/free/articles/v19/i16/16005901.htm
Sorry to get on the soapbox, Bon… I love your choices of places to give (and so many of them!!!)
LM
May 31st, 2007 at 7:54 pm
P.S. Any person would be wise to check out any charity before they contribute, but use a better measure of percentages of operating expenses as the stick. Try looking at what the organization accomplishes and thinking about how their work affects your community. Go visit an organization, talk to them about their work. Better yet, buy the book “Inspired Philanthropy” by Tracy Gary and Melissa Kohner (it’s for any level of giving) and learn how to define your interests and ask the right questions about giving.
(obviously this is a big issue for me!)
May 31st, 2007 at 9:47 pm
This is so terrific. So, so, so terrific.
A few on your list are on mine. Stay tuned for the Just Posts this month, I’ve got a new one for you then, too.
Oh, and I wholeheartedly second Little Monkies.
June 1st, 2007 at 2:18 am
MSF: Dream job. Seriously. For years I’ve wanted to get on the ground with them. One day, I hope, when I can leave my little one(s) for a three- or six-month period without (or with less) guilt, I’ll do it. ‘Til then…have you read Hope in Hell? Wow.
Meanwhile, I’ve got some others but would like to add more to my list, but the meme will have to wait.
June 1st, 2007 at 8:31 am
Reading Hope in Hell made me declare to my family that I was going to do all kinds of medical training and voluteer with MSF. (Other books that are amazing -The End of Poverty, by Jeffrey Sachs and Out of Poverty by Canadian John Stackhouse.) Turns out I’m as squeemish as I’ve always been so that isn’t working out so well, but if they ever have a need for policy comms specialists I’ll be right there.
Two other charities I give to are Oxfam (who doesn’t love giving their friends and family chickens and goats for presents?) and Unicef (not exactly a charity, but functions in many ways like one and their $10 malaria net campaign is fantastic).
I want to echo Little Monkies. I’ve also spent much of my working life in the voluntary sector and I can tell you that charities are often the thriftiest, most efficient resource users I’ve even seen, and their staff are woefully underpaid. (This has been especially true in social justice charities for some reason.) Most charity directors I have worked with barely make a living wage, many do not, and the vast majority of “staff” are actually volunteering. There are some that make great money, but then I would say there’s a damn good reason for it, probably that they can bring in money and support for their organisation.
Comparing percentages that go to the cause can be a way to look at some of the really big charities, multi-million $ ones - but smaller charities tend to have higher admin costs, like transportation of goods, or public awareness campaigns. As charities grow their percentage that goes out to end-users tends to rise, but the majority of charitable work is done by mid-size voluntary organisations. Definately check them out though before you send them your support. Many countries have national voluntary organisations that can provide info on charities, like tax return info, star ratings or contact names so you can ask questions to them directly.
June 1st, 2007 at 11:10 am
i love this blogging gig, just for the interesting conversations.
e…yep, the chickens and goats for gifts are actually why i’m so keen on World Vision, since they were the organization that introduced me to the gift catalogue. Dave looks forward to his pig every Christmas. in Korea, they sponsored whole “global awareness” programs that i did curriculum development for, in which classes of children fundraised to buy school equipment and sustainable animals for families to raise. i also think Oxfam rocks.
one of my college roommates and dearest friends spent six months in Darfur in 2005 with MSF…she’s an emergency room physician (clearly studied more than i in college) and her reports back were pretty consciousness-raising for me (if one is still allowed to use that term without bringing images of macrame to everyone’s mind).
as for the question of charities’ scrupulousness…i know that mismanagement and abuse can and do occur, but i will say that i tend to assume that the percentage of abuse is rather similar to that in any social welfare program or issue…and relative to one’s perspective on what “legitimate use” really is. recently here in Canada there was controversy about MADD (mothers against drunk driving) having exorbitant expenditures…but the public discourse i heard on CBC about the issue was kinda facile and never addressed the fact that MADD doesn’t feed or clothe people…that PSAs, which are expensive to produce, are one of their main spending areas. i probably need to look into how all that fell out…but i do think that the conversation about charity needs to keep some complexity.
June 1st, 2007 at 10:13 pm
Great list, bon. You can’t shop anywhere in Sleepy Town without being given the opportunity to support the IWK. I also support a lot of arts orgs. I find it especially important here where Hollywood and the Irvings conspire to quash anything local.
June 3rd, 2007 at 3:05 am
That’s an interesting list. I used to do Oxfam — I also cop to doing phone solicitation for my university, but since we’ve been living here, all my ‘charitable’ (horrible word!) giving has been local. I live in an area with so much poverty that I can’t see past it.
We have: a book program for kids newborn to school age where they get a book every two months — often the only books they ever see;
a local food pantry, much used, right now quite desperate because the local mining operation is laying off;
nice dresses for girls to go to their grad, mostly donated, plus some money for the boys, ditto (this may sound frivolous, but the kids are pitifully grateful);
fundraising for the local Community Health Centre;
support for kids at university — we had three last school year.
Oh, yes. A Christmas Tree angel program. The local organizations that work with low income people collect names and sizes and wishes (two choices) and people pick them off a Christmas tree at the CHC.
Fair amount of work, but fun.
Sorry - I hijacked your comments.