Looking for a Charity-Know one?

[RT Wolf]

I'm looking for a charity to donate to.

So far, the best candidate is the Acumen Fund. Talk by the CEO of it is here at TED.

My only concern is that while there are various claims of using money efficiently, I have no data to base that on. I haven't seen anything like a balance sheet or income statement or cashflow thing, like you might see with public companies, I'd like to see something like that. In any case, they seem to be doing good work.

Anyhoo, a few criteria for charities that I have:

1. They invest in the "goose that lays the golden egg". Ie, give a man a fish, he eats for a day, teach a man to fish, and he eats for a lifetime. Thus, I really support things like education and sustainable business (which, as incomes improve would also lead to the next generation or current generation becoming educated). More info here.
2. I would prefer something in third world countries, particularly Pakistan. I could support charities here in Canada, but think that every extra dollar does more good in third world nations than it does here. This is not a hard-fast rule, though.
3. I like this idea of social entrepreneurship, and combining market forces and charity, but, again, not a hard-fast rule.

This isn't a criteria, really, but Acumen Fund is heading up my list because I've gotten teary after reading/watching them.

More info and a list of other social entrepreneurship here:
Social Capitalists: Acumen Fund

So, anybody know a charity like that?

[Kaspian]

What about the Heifer Project or an organization that does micro loans? The guy who came up with the idea for micro loans got a Nobel Peace Prize a couple years ago, and I know several people who prefer to donate to the Heifer Project because they think it's a good organization with a great idea.

[Brutha]

For micro loans, one source would be Kiva.org - Loans that change lives. Kiva has the advantage that you see directly where your money goes.

Then there is the Grameen Foundation from the guy who got the Nobel Peace Prize. That organisation does also some "goose that lays the golden egg"-work. There is one Ted video from one of the projects.

On the other hand I also can't point you to good data to base your decision on.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by RT Wolf

I'm looking for a charity to donate to.

It really depends on what's important to you. I like charities like the World Land Trust who buy up rainforest land to protect it from logging etc.

The whole "teach a man to fish" thing is a good philosophy, but it's only part of the picture. Knowledge on how to fish is useless to a man who is too weak from starvation to hold a rod. The fundamentals of life (eg. water supply) need to be met before people can be "taught to fish".

[Love]

I remember when I was looking at places to donate my car to, I looked up a list that shows how charities spend their money. You can look them up at the BBB's webite here . You can find out how much is spent where, and who gets paid what.

As for charities themselves, I think that there are many to donate to. Find one that tugs at your heart!

[jeff3]

I agree that this should be a personal decision, it may be based upon a previous life experience or just something that "tugs at your heart".

Just beware that there are a lot of people out there who would love to separate you from your money and they have become very sophisticated about how they do it. When I asked for guidance on this issue I received a very clear answer, 3 times in 3 days. I give to St Jude children's research hospital. I worked in health care for about 17 years and this is just the best choice for me, I researched their use of funds and as a result have no problem sending them money.

[qiflow]

Take a look at Charity Navigator - America's Largest Charity Evaluator | Home. They rank charities by various factors like efficiency. Very useful tool!