“, we conduct in-depth research aiming to determine how much good a given program accomplishes (in terms of lives saved, lives improved, etc.) per dollar spent. “
I looked at this link and am,frankly, stunned by its rankings and choice of top charities. I do give as much as I can, checking the efficiency of those organizations using the Overheard Percentage, etc. I find this much more effective than something called “lives improved”, which smacks of “jobs saved” as a metric.
Two of my favorites are Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Wounded Warriors. Much as I am sympathetic to the plight of others, I feel we must take care of our own first, then help others.
My advice is to give where you can actually see and hear the impact of the work.
Craigslist is eat up with Christmas scams this year.
“I want to have a good Christmas for my 3 kids.”
One person asked for the new Grand Theft Auto for her 11 year-old. He’s not even old enough to buy it.
I apologize for the link. I just grabbed it, thinking it was a standard ranking service. I was wrong.
Personally, I give to Catholic Charities, Salvation Army; and Milwaukee Rescue Mission. All have a terrific record of ROI.
There are better places to contribute to help veterans. According to CharityWatch, only 43 percent of the Wounded Warrior Project’s annual spending went for programs, with $31M of the $74M annual funding going for salaries, fundraising and other administrative costs. The charity’s financial practices earned it a “D” grade from CharityWatch, an independent organization that rates and evaluates nonprofits.
Fisher House is a good alternative charity. They provide free or low cost lodging to veteran’s and military families receiving treatment at military medical centers, withg 96.6% of donations going to the troops, and only 3.2% used for admin costs and fundraising.