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I give to a number of charities. Several of the charities on my list, although worthy organizations, have an irritating mode of fund raising. Basically, they send me a letter at least every month. The letter is one of two types - Type 1, the "the boiler burst" or Type 2, the "here's a thank you for your past support."
The type 1 letter basically says some external crisis has occurred, and additional funds are needed immediately. Now, since the charities in question are religious (most but not all Catholic) I have to assume that they aren't lying about the emergency. I do, however, wonder if they are truly so cash-strapped as to have no reserves for such contingencies. Since the following month usually brings a letter with some gimcrack (a Type 2 letter), I suspect that the reserves are there, but they want to take advantage of the fund raising opportunity. Most of the Type 2 items are useless (wrapping paper) or unneeded (more address labels).
Having said that, there are two charities that I recommend, and both are very well-mannered, sending only occasional requests and no gimcracks.
The first charity is The Libri Foundation, a small charity based in Eugene, Oregon. Essentially a one-person show, this organization provides grants to rural libraries in the US to buy childrens' books. They are not just straight grants - the Libri Foundation provides 2 to 1 matches, up to $700. This ensures that the local population is involved in the work. They send only one solicitation a year, an annual report, although one can also give by buying stuff on their Amazon wish list. Highly recommended
The second charity is the Central Asia Institute. This organization, founded by a mountain climber named Greg Mortenson, builds schools for boys and girls in local communities in Pakistan and Afghanistan. They use local labor and material, and thus encourage local support and involvement. I've reviewed Greg's book, Three Cups of Tea, and think this is a worthy program. It's much cheaper for us to educate our potential enemies then to bomb them, and that's what the Central Asia Institute is trying to do. Highly recommended
The type 1 letter basically says some external crisis has occurred, and additional funds are needed immediately. Now, since the charities in question are religious (most but not all Catholic) I have to assume that they aren't lying about the emergency. I do, however, wonder if they are truly so cash-strapped as to have no reserves for such contingencies. Since the following month usually brings a letter with some gimcrack (a Type 2 letter), I suspect that the reserves are there, but they want to take advantage of the fund raising opportunity. Most of the Type 2 items are useless (wrapping paper) or unneeded (more address labels).
Having said that, there are two charities that I recommend, and both are very well-mannered, sending only occasional requests and no gimcracks.
The first charity is The Libri Foundation, a small charity based in Eugene, Oregon. Essentially a one-person show, this organization provides grants to rural libraries in the US to buy childrens' books. They are not just straight grants - the Libri Foundation provides 2 to 1 matches, up to $700. This ensures that the local population is involved in the work. They send only one solicitation a year, an annual report, although one can also give by buying stuff on their Amazon wish list. Highly recommended
The second charity is the Central Asia Institute. This organization, founded by a mountain climber named Greg Mortenson, builds schools for boys and girls in local communities in Pakistan and Afghanistan. They use local labor and material, and thus encourage local support and involvement. I've reviewed Greg's book, Three Cups of Tea, and think this is a worthy program. It's much cheaper for us to educate our potential enemies then to bomb them, and that's what the Central Asia Institute is trying to do. Highly recommended
