Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Donations?

Most of you know we earmark 2% of every Wednesday's orders to our charity of the quarter.  Many of you have given generously over the years to help us support the chosen groups.

We've been donating to the Environmental Defense Fund for the past several months, as a response to the Gulf Oil disaster.  However, the year is drawing to an end, and we need to choose another "worthy cause"

The criteria are simple. Whoever is chosen must rate very well on the various 'evaluation sites' that determine where the money actually goes. We want the funds to go to recipients, not to fund executive salaries.   We normally use Charity Navigator, but there are others.

The Charity can not be simply local.  (We broke this rule in April when middle TN was devastated by once in a millenium flooding, but as a rule we try to keep the cause either national or international.)

Our experience is that our clients are more apt to support charities that make life better for women or children, either in the US or, even better, internationally.

In the past, some of the most popular causes have been Women For Women, helping women in wartorn lands rebuild their lives and their communities,  Mariska Hargitay's The Joyful Heart Foundation, helping victims of,  and working to prevent, sexual assault

You may read more about these, and other causes you've helped us support at our Donations page.

Now the question is, as 2010 winds to a close, what should be our "cause of the quarter" to start 2011.  Suggestions, please?
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Posted by Marge at 3:58 PM

2 comments:

Ange said...

I know you've chosen for the first quarter, but would like to put in a bid for a project of Texas Children's Hospital in Houston for the second quarter charity. Texas Children's is an internationally known children's hospital, and every other year the volunteer auxiliary puts on a Conference on Spirituality in Pediatrics. Although all of TCH's work is worthy, I'd really encourage you to consider earmarking funding the 2011 Conference. It is put on entirely by volunteers; funding does not go to any "overhead" or administrative costs. Attendees are from across the nation and even internationally. Please email spirituality@texaschildrens.org for details.

January 4, 2011 at 8:20 AM
Marge said...

Ange, sorry, I missed this when you first posted it. I find the "idea" of the conference fascinating...encouraging spirituality in the practice of any allopathic medical specialty is wonderful..in pediatrics...ah, what a difference it could make. But we just can't. Unless there is a wave of support from clients who aren't local to the conference, it would be hard to justify. For the past year it seems we've been dealing with "local" crisises (what IS the plural of crisis?) ... first the Earthquake relief in Haiti, then our devastating flood here in Middle TN, then the carnage of the Gulf Oil disaster. I'm trying to get us back to 'broader based' causes, because I think our clients are more apt to support them. We will, however, discuss it when this quarter is nearing an end. For now, we have selected The Joyful Heart Foundation. http://www.joyfulheartfoundation.org

January 11, 2011 at 8:14 PM

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