Charity, good but how it gets screwed,

[Brian37]

My neighbor now thinks I am a Scrouge because I turned down a door to door girl who was selling her "charity".

I did not do it because of her, she may in deed have been lagit. I turned her down because of the con artists that make it hard for lagit people to be trusted.

What pisses me off is how did he know I didn't donate unless she said something to him, which says to me, even if this was lagit, the kid cared more about winning her contest than being honest, EVEN if it was a lagit charity.

I don't respond to police and fire charities on the phone, not because they are not lagit, but because others can and do pretend to be those lagit people. And there are people who will use their kids for these scams not for a charity, but to pay their own bills.

The experts say the way to donate to a charity is to do it in person at an established physical location. I didn't turn this kid down because I am an asshole, I turned her down because I didn't personally know her or the charity.

[Autumnlicious]

Did you ever think of donating to DonorsChoose and wave the proof of donation in your neighbors face?

Easier and requires less justification -- "Dude, I /already/ donated. What have /YOU/ done today?"

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

I did not do it because of her, she may in deed have been legit.

Fair enough too.

Let your neighbour think what he likes.

Here we have a system called 'charity direct'. Collectors are issued with an ID badge, if and only if the charity does not pay their collectors,meaning 100% of monies collected goes to the charity.

However, there is another trap; 'administration costs'. Usually around 30%-ish, but can be much higher. Just have a look at the number of paid employees, buildings, advertising, etc.

So far, I've managed to find ONE charity I support regularly by monthly donation: Medicins Sans Frontiers,their admin costs are about 36%. They do not pay their medical staff, not even air fare. I also give to the Fred Hollows foundation ad hoc: $25 will restore a person's sight.

Frederick "Fred" Cossom Hollows, AC (9 April 1929 – 10 February 1993) was an ophthalmologist who became known for his work in restoring eyesight for countless thousands of people in Australia and many other countries. It has been estimated that more than one million people in the world can see today because of initiatives instigated by Hollows, the most notable example being The Fred Hollows Foundation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Hollows