Who should I have my company donate $100 to?

[cascadiance]

Company just gave us a "gift" of allowing us to specify a charity to give $100 to. There do seem to be a lot of choices that I wouldn't mind sending money to. Some aren't on the list (like the NSWBC or other more directly progressive organizations. I'd like to focus on someone that needs the money NOW, to help where it can help us the most. I looked up organizations on impeachment and didn't find anything useful.

The poll here has ones that I'm considering. If you have another one that you think I should look up that would be better, please indicate "other" and note in a post below. The internal link also has ways of lobbying others to make similar donations, so I'll also want a sales pitch to appeal to others to donate to them too.

Perhaps this can be a guide for others that get similar offers fromtheir company too! I'm guessing we aren't the only company that is doing this sort of thing this year.

Thanks!

[etherealtruth]

1. America's Second Harvest!

[Beaverhausen]

8. Yeah- look at the big yellow box on top of the page

[etherealtruth]

11. Gee, I hadn't noticed

O8)

[Beaverhausen]

15. I didn't mean you

I meant the OP- and I worded it wrong. Sorry about that! :hi:

[etherealtruth]

36. No "sorry" needed

I think we were both posting, motivated by the same underlying thoughts

[maxsolomon]

2. The Human Fund

Art Van de Lay, Architect & President...

[cobalt1999]

9. LOL! n/t

[cascadiance]

16. Is this the one? Found it in a search...

Not much info in this report.

http://www.guidestar.org/pqShowGsReport.do?partner=networkforgood&ein=20-2966891

[maxsolomon]

25. wow. that actually looks legitimate. i was thinking this one.

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

[JVS]

23. money for people

[Drum]

3. Or....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2941291&mesg_id=2941291

[cascadiance]

5. If I can find a way to direct it back to benefit DU's donations...

... I would, but I have to use this site to find organizations to donate to.

http://www.networkforgood.org/

[Synnical]

18. It lists Second Harvest at the site

Though DU wouldn't get credit.

[cascadiance]

19. Yes, that's my concern. I might give a separate amount to them myself.

It's going more in my company's name. Hmmm... How much does DU get for these links (or my company for that matter?) as a tax writeoff? Seems like a lot of donation efforts like this out there now.

[Synnical]

24. Your company is most likely getting credit

Since they are providing the funds. It's a bonus of sorts, but they don't have to pay the matching FICA taxes, and get to deduct it from profit as a charitable donation. But, not DU. I made a donation, and it was in my name, not DU's.

-Cindy in Fort Lauderdale

[globalvillage]

4. The ACLU just called me today

To increase my monthly donation by $1. That's all they asked for, they said if they get an additional dollar from every member, it really adds up.

I vote ACLU because their campaign is clever and not pushy, and they're looking for small donations.

That said, I chose a local veterans organization for my payroll deduction this year. I just called them first to make sure they were on the proper side of the fence first :-) .

[cascadiance]

12. The one problem I have with ACLU is...

... that when I was called earlier to commit to renewing my membership, I pledged $50. I then got a letter in the email to follow through on it, and I upped it to $75 when I sent them the money. For some reason, I don't think they applied that donation to my membership, and they still are sending me tons of emails to renew my membership with more money. I'm guessing this donation won't also "renew" my membership either! I think I need to give them a call. I'd hate them to continue to waste money sending more snail mail, and I do want to give them more than just the $50 minimum for membership too. But I'm hoping that they're infrastructure can recognize when people are being more generous than originally committed to and not continue to send me more solicitations.

But I DO like a lot of what they do, and they were my first inclination to donate too, especially since I think they're going to need a lot of money to defend this latest legal issue they have with that subpoena they have for that secret document.

[elehhhhna]

6. Heifer International

[elehhhhna]

7. Heifer International

[rucky]

20. Heifer is a fantastic organization.

www.heifer.org

[IDemo]

33. beat me to it

Where else can one buy a water buffalo for a good cause?

[Der Blaue Engel]

10. I'm not sure about all of the organizations you've mentioned

but I know that donating to, for instance, a political party, or something like DU, cannot be considered a tax-deductible charitable contribution, which I'm betting is what your company is looking for. I'm sure that an impeachment-oriented organization would be considered political. You may want to check with these orgs and make sure they'd be valid for your company's purposes.

I wish my company would let us pick someone to donate to. Instead, they take our charitable contributions fund and donate it to whoever's pet project of the day happens to get picked each month. Last month it was the Boy Scouts. While I'm sure the Scouts do good things for some people, they also happen to openly discriminate against GLBTs and non-Christians. I pointed this out to our office manager and got a big fat yawn.

[cascadiance]

14. I think that any of the organizations through that web site I listed are fair game...

Whether or not it's tax deductible or not, that's the company's problem, since they're in partnership with this site for this donation. I'm basically directing where their donation should be sent.

All of the organizations in the poll are ones I found on this site. I'm just wanting to see where I can get the most bang for my company's bucks for us!

[Synnical]

28. Do you have a Human Resources Manager?

Are you forced to contribute to this fund?

[northzax]

13. Other: Portland Mountain Rescue

to support the volunteers who save dozens of lives a year in the mountains of Oregon.

[Monkeyman]

17. Other someplace like this

http://www.helpaveteran.org

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

21. Refugees International

This organization gets no funding from any organization, and is brave enough to stand up to anyone when it comes to refugees. Before we invaded Iraq, Ken Bacon (my hero!), president of the organization, wrote op eds and went on TV condemning the idea. Right now, RI is documenting the Iraqi refugee crisis and encouraging everyone to write Washington demanding that Iraqi refugees be allowed to come here if they like.

www.refugeesinternational.org

[JVS]

22. Orphans

http://www.theorphansociety.org/

[PADemD]

26. Your local Salvation Army

Ours has established a food bank for needy families, and they are the first to help if some family is burned out of their home.

[cascadiance]

32. I have a problem with the Salvation Army that's more personal...

Three years ago, I'd called them to pick up a couch and chair set that I was wanting to donate when I got a newer set in my house. I kept them in the garage instead of my car until they were supposed to pick them up. They decided they didn't want them when they came by, so I had to keep my car parked in the driveway until the following week before Goodwill could come by instead to pick them up. Well, my car got broken into and two nights later on Friday got stolen in front of my house while my couch set was in the garage (where I was trying to keep it clean and dry there). Well, a borrowed car was put in the garage for the weekend, and the donated furniture was left in the garage with a tarp on them for the whole weekend. Goodwill didn't have any problems in picking them up the following week.

So you can tell that I partially blame Salvation Army for being too picky and therefore contributing to my car getting stolen then. I might donate to Goodwill, but I honestly want to donate to organizations this year that will help fix our government that need the resources. That's why I think I'm probably going to put more money into the ACLU. If we can get over the hump in getting some of the crap out in the open and acted upon, that's when I'll go back to donating to more charitable organizations. I've also just put up a ton of old clothes in to donate too, so I figure that is where I'll be helping needy folks this year.

[Megahurtz]

27. Split it up however you want and

give it to a Homeless persons that you see on the street here and there.

[hlthe2b]

29. Katrina relief--maybe NOLA Habitat for Humanity

or to one of the not-for-profit legal groups fighting for NOLA's poor and their rights


I'm doing this (donation in their name)along with a couple of pralines for work colleagues

[hyphenate]

30. At this time of year

if I have it, I give to animal charities, because shelters especially need more food and caring for the many animals that ignorant people "adopt" for someone for XMas, and then give them up after the holidays are over because they can't cope with them. But I applaud your choices, and would suggest the ECO--Earth Communications Office.

[itsmesgd]

31. Heifer Project International

www.heifer.org
Ending hunger through responsible animal husbandry. The charity provides livestock and education to teach communities worldwide how to responsibly raise animals to provide sustainable food in a manner that is environmentally friendly. Give a man a fish, he eats for one day. Teach a man to fish.....

[cascadiance]

34. Thanks everyone for your comments... I think I'm going with the ACLU

This post just confirms that they are an organization that needs to be out there to help shut down the bad guys on capitol hill:

DU thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2657724

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N18198077.htm

I really feel my money's being well spent on so many things they do over there now!

Keep updating this thread though. Perhaps it will be useful to help others decide where to put similar "matching" contributions from other companies into. Unfortunately I don't think I can split my donation into multiple "pies". But I've got a lot of other ideas from you all on where else to donate to later!

[globalvillage]

35. Here's one of my favorites

http://www.democracycellproject.com/

The Democracy Cell Project (DCP) is a non-profit organization with a bold approach to using online communications to integrate, educate, and include the millions of people across America who are ready to work for a more democratic country. The DCP is dedicated to assisting individuals and communities to tighten their messages, build coalitions, and organize on the ground to make political change a reality.

http://www.democracycellproject.net/supportus.shtml

I'm not sure it would be on your list, but it is a worthy cause.