To whom do you donate?

Abookamongstthemany

hippiemom wrote:

Haha! If there's anything I've learned in this life, it's that no filing system will organize you unless you use it. I don't know how many filing systems I wasted my money on before I figured that out

I take it Kabong isn't organized either, or you'd have turned all this stuff over to him long ago. I guess you're stuck with the "big shoe box full of crap that takes two weeks to sort out at the end of the year" method ... that's the one I used when I was single.

He's more organized than me but still...not so much with the boring stuff. Now with the cds, dvds, and bookshelf....he has it all in perfect alphabetical order. I don't even bother with that. It's so cute to watch him go behind me rearrange after I put stuff back on the shelf.

gue_barium

If "Community Service" is considered a donation, I've got it in aces.

gabers

I give monthly allotments to the World Wildlife Fund and KPFT, the local Pacifica station. I also give when I can, in both money, food, and just time spent with the families at the Ronald McDonald house. It's a very good cause and they were very good to me and my family during some very dark days last year.

hsewif

hippiemom wrote:

Typically, when you get something in return for your money (for example, a PJ/Robert Plant show, or maybe you buy a poster from the Sierra Club), or you have a chance at getting something in return (raffle tickets), it's not deductible. So yeah, if you make a lot of your donations that way, you can't do it. As for donating goods, I don't even bother with that because it's a nuisance to get a receipt from a lot of places and the resale value of stuff is so low that it's hardly worth the time anyway.

Anytime you give money though, I can't see any reason not to deduct that. It will be a tiny bit more in your pocket and you can give that away too! Or take yourselves out to dinner, or whatever. It's so easy to keep receipts for cash donations, I just don't understand why anyone wouldn't do it. Even if it's an organization that you get services from, it's not like you're getting the money from them ... it's just a tiny bit less tax you'll pay, you can turn around and give it to them if you like.

As for you not being pleased ... my brain is mush lately, so if you're not generally grumpy about the government's use of your money then I've probably confused you with someone else ... my apologies

I'll consider keeping better track of things... it would help if I was more organized.

El_Kabong

does the $1 at petsmart count?

Defenders of Wildlife (been giving to them since before i could drive)
Amnesty International
Doctors w/o Borders
Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund
some ones for the chesapeake river (was years ago when i lived in northern va)
natural resources defense council
beyond pesticides
humane society (and donate blankets and such)
give stuff to the goodwill
the WILD foundation
mcspotlight.org
musicians on the streets of asheville, athens or whereever

and the stuff abook already posted...

gue_barium

Around 25-30 years ago, or so, i came upon a member of an upstart organization called "hunger project 2000". I donated to the cause of ending world hunger by the year 2000. It made a lot of sense to me at the time, and it still does.

What happened?

I googled it tonight, and they are now an organization called "Hunger Project".

Ms. Haiku

I tried to find information about Food not Bombs on the internet, and there doesn't seem to be an organized entity in my DC neck of the woods. In my town there's the publishing company. Does anyone know about Food not Bombs? There seems to be people just show up and give out food. Is that it? Maybe there isn't an office or something like that. Maybe I would just show up with food, and voila! I first heard of it when I was volunteering at a homeless youth shelter, and one of the paid staff at the shelter also volunteered at Food not Bombs.

I was reading about Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan with a Vengeance book, and she mentioned she used to cook a lot for Food not Bombs. I think if I'm in a position to cut a lot of onions that I would decrease my fear of knives, you know. I just cook for one, but I bake for many. I need to cook more. Address two concerns at once; hunger for others, and fear for me.

binauralsounds

Isn't it best to keep your donations to yourself?? Best to be humble and not brag about to whom you give and how much!

hsewif

binauralsounds wrote:

Isn't it best to keep your donations to yourself?? Best to be humble and not brag about to whom you give and how much!

It's appropriate in a thread specifically asking the question "to whom do you donate?".


-- how is it any different from listing all of the PJ shows you've been to in your sig? Couldn't that be considered bragging too?

edit--PJ brags, too... they have an entire page on their website to showcase their good deeds!

http://pearljam.com/activism/nonprofit.php

Collin

Oxfam

Medics Without Vacation

I almost always give to local stuff.

And I give blood.

I stopped donating to Medics w/o Vacation because I can't afford it but once I get a job, I think I'll donate to a few more causes.

Nice thread by the way.

mookie9999

Pbs

iluvcats

smile train (they repair kids' smiles who are born with a cleft pallet)

Ms. Haiku

binauralsounds wrote:

Isn't it best to keep your donations to yourself?? Best to be humble and not brag about to whom you give and how much!

What's cool about this thread is that people are finding like minded people i.e., people who knit, and give things away; people who joined surfrider. More resulted in this thread then just the listing, it's been a link between people.

A lot of times what eventually results from discussions like this is giving/donating. For instance, person x may say, I heard about this cause/group from person y, and it sounded like a good idea. I looked into it, and I'm going to join/donate also . . . That's pretty cool, you know.

Also, nothing wrong with a person feeling good about what he/she does for the community. The good feeling inspires more good actions.

Cosmo

Ms. Haiku wrote:

I tried to find information about Food not Bombs on the internet, and there doesn't seem to be an organized entity in my DC neck of the woods. In my town there's the publishing company. Does anyone know about Food not Bombs? There seems to be people just show up and give out food. Is that it? Maybe there isn't an office or something like that. Maybe I would just show up with food, and voila! I first heard of it when I was volunteering at a homeless youth shelter, and one of the paid staff at the shelter also volunteered at Food not Bombs.

I was reading about Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan with a Vengeance book, and she mentioned she used to cook a lot for Food not Bombs. I think if I'm in a position to cut a lot of onions that I would decrease my fear of knives, you know. I just cook for one, but I bake for many. I need to cook more. Address two concerns at once; hunger for others, and fear for me.

...
http://www.foodnotbombs.net/firstindex.html
I heard about Food Not Bombs a couple of years ago from Tom Morello. I met him through my friend, Jill Sobule and he does these little fundraiser gigs in L.A. that supports Food Not Bombs and Axis Of Justice. You just missed him... he played at Jammin' Java in Vienna, VA. on June 23rd.
The local L.A. groups helps collect, store and distribute food to charity pantries in the Los Angeles/Long Beach area. They are always in need of voluenteer services.

doorsjam

binauralsounds wrote:

Isn't it best to keep your donations to yourself?? Best to be humble and not brag about to whom you give and how much!

I think if someone posted and said "I just donated $1 million dollars to XYZ foundation" that is bragging. But just saying that you donate is showing humanity not bragging.

Donating time and goods is equally as important to many charities as financial donations. I know people that could use some charity themselves that are so giving to others.

But to answer the question. I donate to the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance http://www.tsalliance.org , Make a Wish http://www.wish.org and the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Its sad but true that I became more civic minded and charitable after the birth of my twins. Once one of them was diagnosed with Tuberous Sclerosis and I found out how little was known about the disease that affects more people than Cystic Fibrosis and Lou Gehrigs Disease, I was compelled to donate and raise money to increase awareness.

We were recently granted a wish from the Make a Wish Foundation but they were a favorite charity before that.

deadnote

Record Stores

sponger

Mostly to animal shelters, humane society...etc. Sometimes the red cross will get my money.

binauralsounds

hsewif wrote:

It's appropriate in a thread specifically asking the question "to whom do you donate?".


-- how is it any different from listing all of the PJ shows you've been to in your sig? Couldn't that be considered bragging too?

edit--PJ brags, too... they have an entire page on their website to showcase their good deeds!

http://pearljam.com/activism/nonprofit.php

Going to pearl jam shows, and who/how much I donate is apples/oranges. I know you know that, but guess you were stretching a bit.

Bu2

of choice.

Collin

binauralsounds wrote:

Isn't it best to keep your donations to yourself?? Best to be humble and not brag about to whom you give and how much!

Someone asked us a question about what we think are good causes to donate to, he said he was looking for ideas. Besides I didn't see too many people bragging, just mentioning the causes they give to.