To Give, or Not to Give? (A continuation of an earlier Grumpy Grandpa blog)
During the period from November 22nd—just before Thanksgiving, 2022—and December 11, I tried to collect and keep track of all the appeals for donations that came in the mail. Of the ones to both me and my wife, we got 77 (sic) that I was able to look at before they were discarded—more were thrown out without being opened. . Looking them over, I was surprised to find that the majority were from animal-based charities, including some one wouldn't ordinarily think of (“Alley Cat Rescue,” “Baby Rhino Rescue” “Speak Up for Horses,” and “Mara Elephant Project,” for example.) Also of surprise, given that we are Jewish and not in the upper tier of religious practice, we received appeals from Catholic Charities, and Society of St. Vincent DePaul. Native American groups (St. Ann's Indian Mission, St. Labre Indian School,) sent small gifts and donation appeals, not to mention Father Flanagan's Boys Town and something called “Boys Ranch.” Since we haven't contributed to any of those, we assume that charities we have given to—Feeding America, American Red Cross, PETA, The Jewish National Fund, etc.—sell their donor lists that in turn are distributed to other charities, who in turn pass them on..
All these donation appeals pose a number of questions. First, for ones that are unfamiliar, how much of the income they generate actually goes to help their client populations? We can get some help from online groups like “Charity Navigator” or “Charity Watch” though not all charities are covered by these organizations. Of the ones we received, quite a few had no presence or ratings at all (e.g., "K9s for Warriors," "Central Union Mission," "St. Labre Indian School"). Others are so specialized that one wonders about the wisdom of donating. Such causes as “Animal Equality” “Animal Legal Defense Fund” “Speak up for Horses” or the ”Haitian Health Foundation” sound worthy, but it's hard—next to impossible--to know what they actually do.
The really big charities are quite well known, and quite aggressive about fund raising. The American Red Cross sends a lot of appeals, and raises about three billion dollars a year. To do so, they spend about 180 million dollars a year on fund-raising, and pay their CEO $739,000 a year. How many $25 or $50 contributions does it take to support those costs, even though they still spend the vast bulk of the money they collect on direct services? Feeding America is another huge charity, with annual donations of about 3.5 billion dollars. The are given the highest rating by Charity Navigator—100/100. They spend a mere $35 million on fund-raising, less than many other charities, and pay their president about three-fourths of a million dollars a year. Another heavy weight is the American Heart Association. Their top 19 executives were paid slightly over –ready for this—ten million dollars in 2014. Again, though, it gives a wee bit of pause to wonder how much of one's contribution is going to administrative or salary expenses, plus I can't help wondering what they actually do to merit such huge salaries.
Sometimes well-known charities can give a shocking surprise when looked at carefully. “Father Flanagan's Boys Town," very well-known because of a popular movie made many decades ago about it, raised just under a million dollars in 2019—down from about 13 million three years earlier. It essentially closed up in 2019--no boys--yet listed the salaries of its five highest paid executives as about $800,000 for the fiscal year. We got an appeal from them December 11, 2021. Similarly, “Defenders of Wildlife” raised about $35,000,000 of which more than $16 million went for “mobilization of a broader constituency for wildlife conservation.” That means giving out information about endangered species in the material it sends out via appeals. Slightly over $11 million (less than a third) went for direct aid to endangered animal species. There are an almost endless array of charities aimed at animal welfare, The Alley Cat Rescue charity raised about two million dollars in recent years, and spent 27+% on fund-raising and salaries, leaving 72% to support work with cats; OK, but still less than 3/4s of what they receive from the public.
Are there charities where everything goes to support the activities that the appeals write about? Some--though every appeal costs money to make. If in doubt, check the charity's ratings, or call the charity itself. I give on the basis of my evaluation of the total good they do for others, especially important in these troubled times. Make every buck count!
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