birthday giving
Somehow I started a tradition a couple years ago of donating some money to charities around my birthday. Here’s how it worked out this year:
- 20% Catholic Charities, CYO, Archdiocese of San Francisco—local—I feel like they’re one of the better organizations serving the poor et al in San Francisco
- 20% American Red Cross (National Disaster Relief Fund)—national
- 20% South African Development Fund—international/ South Africa
- 20% African Medical and Research Fund (AMREF)—international/ Africa—they do research and have medical aid for AIDS and malaria, among other things.
- 20% Freedom from Hunger—international
Criteria: I like Africa and South Africa in particular. I like efficient organizations. (I only donate to four star charities.) I think international charities can help more people per dollar than American charities. My primary concern is saving lives now and in the future. At the same time, I think one should strive to help out locally and nationally as well.
Okay, that’s it, I think. I’m a little reluctant to post about this as always.
September 4th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
It makes me happy, warm and fuzzy in the heart, when you do this post. Whether I agree with your charity selections or not, I always admire your thoughtful generosity. So I look forward to hearing from you about your birthday charities! I’m glad you shared your thoughts again this year.
September 4th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
To respond to something that I think you’re getting at, I would quickly note that some organizations aren’t in Charity Navigator, like Larkin Street Youth Services isn’t, so I wouldn’t consider them. I want to be sure that the organization is efficient before giving them money.