We Are A Generous People; Try Not To Be Scammed!

I could rant for pages and pages about the evils of government largesse replacing private charity. It doesn't work, it never worked, and it will never work. A cursory glance at Europe and it sclerotic economy will buttress the argument that governments are horrendously inefficient at everything they do, so why not ensure that they do as little as possible?

Luckily, Americans are an amazingly caring and generous people outside of the cities, and there are many thousands of charitable organizations that do yeoman's work caring for those in need.

And as humans are wont, some are poorly run. Some are purposefully designed to enrich their staff. Some are flat-out scams.

And of course, because this is America, organizations have arisen to inform us of the relative quality of these charitable efforts. And that is a very good thing, because most of us will have difficulty reading IRS Form 990, which is just the beginning of the labyrinth that is financial reporting.

One website I use is called CharityWatch, and they seem to be rigorous and consistent in their evaluations. And that's nice, because I don't want to have to wade through some bullsh*t political screed just to see the cost to fund-raise compared to total revenue!

One of the things I think is important is the salaries of the administrators and board. It is glaringly obvious that there are some non-profit organizations that should be stripped of that designation and thrown into the general pile of companies in it for the almighty buck. And don't get me started on universities and hospitals that hide behind their non-profit status to evade the taxes that every other provider of a product or service has to pay!

Sadly, there are more ways for charities to obfuscate and redirect and flat-out cheat than there are watchers, so there is always a risk that the $25 you sent to XYZ charity is actually being funneled to some NGO that hides wetbacks from ICE. But careful reading of the materials provided by the charity will provide clues.

For me? I look for the most direct line between my dollar and the recipient. Tunnel to Towers Foundation is a good example of a well-run charity that doesn't piss away its donor's money on stupid sh*t. They used to send me stuff in the mail, which I think is a waste. So I called them, and a real person answered the phone! I asked that all communication be via e-mail to save a few bucks. And I have never again gotten anything in the mail! Is that a big deal? No, but it shows that they are serious about their work.

I am not touting CharityWatch or Tunnels To Towers. There are many fine organizations that are aligned with your charitable interests, and a bit of research into them will minimize the possibility of waste or fraud.

And speaking of charities! All of the profit from The Deplorable Gourmet goes to a couple of excellent and efficient charities.

What? You don't know what that is? It is the greatest cookbook of the 21st century! And a perfect Christmas gift, or even better a wonderful book to bring to your Thanksgiving host. It is elegant, well written, and everyone is wearing their best in the photos. It's even got original art! Plus, the food is great.

posted by CBD at 12:00 PM

| Access Comments