How can you help many without leaving your chair and NOT opening up your checkbook? Next time you’re on the Internet, go to www.thebreastcancersite.com and look at the topics listed across the top. Choose to support any or all of these: hunger, breast cancer, animal rescue, veterans, autism, child health, literacy, and the rainforest. Pick a cause, then, when it opens, press “Click Here to Give—It’s Free!” Various sponsors give money for each click we do, supporting reputable groups which work toward helping others or our environment. You don’t give any information, so nobody will solicit funds from you or send you spam. You can continue to contribute by clicking on any or all once a day, or at least each time you sign onto the internet. Stick the site into your “Favorites,” or send yourself a weekly reminder email with the address to link you quickly to the site. How easy is that!
Tag Archive for donate
Are You Donating $162,000 a Year?
Salary.com has added up the monetary worth of a parent who stays at home to care for his or her child: $162,000. That’s $5,000 more that last year. If you are in that position (although not getting the money), you know the myriad of jobs being a stay-at-home parent entails. And next time you’re asked, “Do you work?” you should reply, “Yes. I earn $162,000 a year but I donate it all.”
Help Furry Orphans
You’ve already donated your old pillows, blankets, and towels to the orphaned furry ones. Did you know that many animal shelters can also use pet food, cleaning supplies, plastic bags, and gloves? Drop off these items to your local shelter, and take a peek at the orphans. Be careful about looking into those little soulful eyes, though, or you may not go home alone–which isn’t a bad idea.
[For more easy, money-saving, earth-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. Or download a free copy from your favorite e-book seller.]
Helping Nepal Sensibly
Before you donate money to help the people of Napal, be sure the organization you’ll give your money to can–and will–actually do the job. Some are well-meaning but don’t have the resources or experience to handle such a large task. And some are out-and-out scams, preying on the vulnerable and our emotions.
Here’s a list of ones that have been vetted and are already helping in Nepal. You can read a little about each and get a link to each at http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-04-25/how-help-nepal-7-vetted-charities-doing-relief-work-following-earthquake.
The organizations are (in alpha order) AmeriCares, CARE, Catholic Relief Services, Direct Relief, GlobalGiving, International Relief Teams, Operation USA, Save the Children, Seva Foundation, and World Help. Two others currently working over there are UNICEF and Oxfam, also described on that webpage.
The people of Napal need every cent they can get to find their lost loved ones, recover, and rebuild. Make sure that every penny you give actually helps them.
Help the Philippines–CAREFULLY
I want to help those poor people in the Philippines who have suffered so much devastation, loss, and heartache because of earthquakes and typhoons. I bet you do, too. But WAIT! Don’t give to the next organization who calls or person who shows up on your doorstep. As usual when there’s a disaster, thieves jump into an emotional situation that enriches them and does nothing or very little to those affected.
There are reputable groups we can donate to, ones that will make sure our donations get to the victims who need it: Catholic Charities, Salvation Army, Red Cross, for example. Before you donate through a group other than these, do your homework. Look up the other organization online and see how much overhead-vs-help they actually have. Some seem to exist only to line the pockets of highly paid executives; others are so shady that they don’t dare list such numbers.
Personally, I think it’s sub-human to take advantage of other people’s misery rather than rolling up our sleeves and doing what we can to help our fellow travelers on this Earth. Such people exist, however, and we need to guard against them–not by avoiding giving but just by being careful.
Donate CAREFULLY
The Boston tragedy is bringing out all the scam artists. They’re posting, calling, and knocking on doors to get you to help–help not the Boston victims or other worthy cause but themselves. Their donation scams can be quite profitable for them.
If you want to donate to help the bombing victims, be very careful. I think Clark Howard has the best advice, so I’m borrowing from him today. Here are his steps to take before donating anything:
- Don’t give cash. Legitimate charities will take a check.
- Don’t give out your credit card, bank account or personal information to telemarketers. If you want to donate, initiate the call yourself.
- Don’t fall for Internet appeals if the cause does not look legitimate and doesn’t check out. Make sure to do your research!
- Expect specific information. Ask what kind of relief this organization is going to provide. Don’t accept vague explanations.
- Check out the charity with national, state and local authorities. Established charities register with the Internal Revenue Service. You can search for specific non-profit organizations on the IRS website: irs.gov.
- Beware of newly formed organizations. If the charity is new, you may have to rely on your relationship with the company or sponsor of the organization to determine whether you trust the group.
- Report abuses to the nearest Better Business Bureau and the State Attorney General’s office. Both are listed in local telephone directories. You can also report abuses to the National Fraud Information Center at (800) 876-7060. NFIC also has a web-based complaint form at fraud.org.
For more tips on donating, check out Clark’s Donation Guide.
[Thank you, Clark.]