In this consumer driven society a lot of people don't spare charity organisations a second thought. I always like to donate a few dollars to animal welfare and the Red Cross. I never throw anything away that is still in good condition and could be useful to another. I take it all to the Salvation Army or some other charity. I would like to give a lot more, but often I wonder whether my donation actually reaches its target. How about you?
I have never donated anything yet on my own, I only donated when our school was asking us to donate old toys, clothes and other relief goods to the typhoon victims, and that was more than a decade ago. I always forget to make a donation to various charities out there and I just end up giving my old clothes to the people here in the street who looks inside the trash cans to search for valuable items.
I will donate when I can if it is a cause that I believe in and support. It is really hard sometimes as it seems there are so many organizations that are in need. Typically, I suggest doing your research to see where the money goes and how it is used. Some charities will have various needs or areas open for contributions. I will donate locally if it is a group that I am familiar with. Some groups are more vocal about their needs than others.
I donate both money and items on a regular basis. I donate monthly to an animal shelter with money and supplies and I also donate monthly to a local charity that helps women get back into the workforce. As others have suggested I would research prior to donating. I learned some pretty well known charities weren't necessarily doing much good with the monies they receive and were instead paying the top execs with it.
I donate when I can and sometimes I give a lot more. At one time I even wanted to volunteer to do some charity work. The charity organization at that time said I didn't have enough life experience to be of use to them and I stopped thinking about ever volunteering again. However I still donate from time to time. It doesn't matter to me, if what I give goes straight to those who need it as long as I did my part to do the little I can to provide something to someone who may not have been as lucky as me.
I wonder how much life experience is necessary to help another human being or animal in distress? Do you need some kind of certificate that shows that you passed the big life test? It just proves again to me how certain charity organisations put more emphasis on personal or internal politics rather than on the main picture, which is to assist those who really need it. It's disgraceful.
