- Jan
- 28
How I Decide What Charities to Support
Posted by Kerry Anderlik at 6:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
I am sure that I am not the only one who receives phone calls and mailings from charities requesting donations, and I am sure that I am not alone in feeling uneasy about the economy and the future. While many of us cannot afford to give more right now, we can educate ourselves to give smarter. I have three main criteria that I use to sort out the charities that I will support from those I will not.
First off, I will not donate to any organization that might use my money for animal research. The only way I can be sure that they are cruelty-free is if they have been approved by the Council of Humane Giving. I refer organizations to PETA’s Caring Consumer Web site and tell them that if they are on the approved list of organizations that do not test on animals, then I will consider donating to them. Otherwise, they should not contact me again until they have received the Humane Charity Seal.
Second, I will not donate to any animal or environmental organization that is pro-hunting, pro-trapping, or pro-fishing. These groups include the African Wildlife Foundation, the Nature Conservancy, Safari Club International, the Sierra Club, the Wilderness Society, and the World Wildlife Fund. I continue to receive membership requests from these groups, and I always send them back with “meat’s no treat for those you eat” PETA stickers on the donation form.
Third, I will not donate to any organization that pays its president, CEO, or staffers huge annual salaries. This information can be found on Charity Navigator. Enter the organization’s name in the “charity search” box and scroll down until you see the compensation of the top executives. It’s quite eye-opening to compare the $34,000 compensation of PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk to the salaries of the leaders of other groups. For example, it has been reported that the head of the North Shore Animal League receives $322,396, the head of the World Wildlife Fund receives $392,685, the president of the Nature Conservancy receives $427,465, and the president of the March of Dimes receives more than $500,000.
These are my personal criteria. I am sure that every reader has their own preferences based on their own experiences, but I think that PETA should be at the top of everyone’s list. PETA puts animal rights on the map and continues to be the most effective at uncovering injustice, putting pressure on animal exploiters, and helping us all to be better, kinder, and more compassionate people.
What’s your personal criteria for giving?
Posted to Money | Posted to Tags: charity, donate
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Christy says...
January 29th, 2009, 5:04 pm
Hey Kerry.
I love love love this advice. I am actually printing this out (after i send this link on to all my compassionate friends) and keeping it by my phone. Also thinkin maybe i willl just copy a little note to enclose in all the mail i get from oganizations that i am not sure about. It will ask that all these questions be answered before i consider donating. Wonder if they will respond???
Rick Thompson says...
January 30th, 2009, 3:02 pm
All three points are excellent. The compensation comparisons are real eye-openers. I felt betrayed to discover that the CEO of our local shelter that I had supported, while begging for much-needed funds on one hand, was receiving a salary more than twice Ingrid’s in the other hand.
I have two other suggestions. First, focus on just a few charities, so that you can better know the organization and make more meaningful contributions. Second, narrow down the many worthy animal organizations by contributing only to those which embrace a truly pro-animal mission by advocating veganism. For example, our local shelter holds an annual fundraising dinner that features meals with meat! While they offered a vegetarian option, there was no vegan option. That sort of institutional hypocrisy does not deserve my contribution.
Naila M. Sanchez says...
January 30th, 2009, 3:56 pm
THANKS for the terrific information! I am changing my charities this moment! God bless Ingrid and wonderful people like her! PETA is at the top of my list! Thanks so much for sharing so much valuable info. as we need to know this and pass the word! Thank you!
JT says...
February 5th, 2009, 9:27 pm
Great advice. When in doubt, go local. There must be great charities near you that can use your meager dollars and time much more than the big guys. And you can keep a closer eye on them and hopefully have influence on policy.
lynne says...
February 6th, 2009, 5:41 pm
My priorities are to support charities that help animals, children and the envoirament, there are other causes l care about, but know that the main recipients and biggest charities are hugely wealthy.
l support peta because it not only cares about individual animals, it campaigns tirelessly worldwide to end the suffering of so many animals, and it does have successes, be it with anti fur campaigns, factory farming,
hunting, domestic cruelty, its a never ending battle, and it never gives up, Thank God. loving peta.
l will now support the rspca, since it stopped putting healthy dogs and cats to sleep, as in the past, which l detested them doing. Thankfully there is now a policy in most animal shelters to keep the animal till a home is found.
l hope in time all people and countries will become more enlightened and compassionate, and stop causing suffering to animals, in the name of vanity, hunting, sport, tradition, custom, whatever reason, so support peta.
Nora Jones says...
February 7th, 2009, 9:51 pm
Hi Kerry,
Your article is very informative and interesting. However, I was surprised to hear that World Wildlife Fund and the Wilderness Society are pro hunting and pro trapping.