Rongnongno Loc: FL

Considering the past history of this 'charitable' organization in the US or in international situation...

Don't.

Find other ways to help out, look for 'honest churches' that will work toward or local folks you know there.

I am really tired of all these calls for $$$ when very little of what is given out is used somewhere else if at all.

One Jughead Loc: Greene County, OH

You should check out the charitable organizations before making donations.
Charitynavigator.org
Guidestar.org

Two sources for the information.

2Dragons Loc: The Back of Beyond

Probably one of the most "better bangs for your buck" charities is the Salvation Army. I always donate to them for disasters that happen all over the world, like the tsunami in Japan, and
around the holidays when they are so effective in feeding the homeless and making them feel like it is more than charity day. Rotary International is another one that utilizes their money
judiciously in that they go to these 3rd world countries and oversee their projects personally. They do not hand money out to the local officials and hope for the best. Rotary is hands-on.

RichardQ Loc: Colorado

Rongnongno, ypu're certainly entitled to your own opinion, but I'm sure I'm not the only WW II vet who was grateful for the American Red Cross in the European Theater. When I arrived at Fürstenfeldbruck air base in December 1945 after an ice-cold troop train ride from Le Havre, France, we were welcomed in the dawn hours by several ARC ladies with hot coffee and doughnuts, the first hot food in days...and the first American women in weeks. In the town ARC provided a comfortable little club with a piano and various activities if we got bored with looking at the town. At Easter, they even put on a little fashion show (see photo) to remind us what American dresses looked like. Occasionally a Red Cross guy came to the base with a portable recording machine and offered to make a free 78-rpm record to send home to the family. When we went in to Munich there was a much more elaborate Red Cross Club (see attached article). Sure, there was a nominal price for stuff like hamburgers, but it certainly cost them more than they charged us. Most of us were delighted that there was an option. The ARC Club in Hoechst, a suburb of Frankfurt, was in a former department store and was even more elaborate than the Munich facility. I visited it in 1946 when one of my drawings won a prize in an International Art Competition sponsored by the American Red Cross. The prizes were presented by 4-star General Joseph McNarney, who had just replaced Eisenhower. I'm sure the ARC is still a presence near our military posts overseas.

Meanwhile, back in the States in the years since, I participated in many Red Cross blood drives which would never have happened without the ARC. Of course, the ARC now competes with other organizations, diluting its presence. I think their PR is pretty pale today so we are not sufficiently reminded of their contributions to the American society.

Popular American Red Cross Club in Munich, 1946


ARC Club in expropriated German department store - 1946


ARC ladies in Fürstenfeldbruck. Occupied Germany 1946


Red Cross in Germany ran a 1946 Arts contest covered by LIFE

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Since the RC has changed.

Most large charities have changed too and so have churches, especially the one promoting 'wealth' as proof of Christ presence... Of course for the leaders, no one else.

Well, look at the incredible salaries the charities pay to their leaders. Do you want to pay some individual salary or really help?

Folks have helped me during my life, real folks. This is where the help has to go, to real folks, not some organization(s) that select who to help depending on their agendas.

So, an opinion? A bit more than that.

This does not mean you should quit being grateful, far from it. The individuals involved are all honest folks and worthy.

2Dragons Loc: The Back of Beyond

There are still some places where folks depend on each other for assistance, but these are generally in the more rural areas. The people in the cities rely more on the welfare assistance programs that unfortunately do not foster that spirit of helping each other.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

In my opinion you are both right and wrong in some kind of twisted way.

A society is responsible for the welfare of the weak, regardless of circumstance.

The 'spirit to foster' is alive and well, even in cities of any size. These are individual choices, not a reaction to a 'social program'. The social decay we witness or think we witness is an illusion. I have seen too much good in individuals not to realize that.

The modern era with all the information overload blinds us to a simple reality: We are still human and capable of great deed. This is not apparent since everything appears to be skewed. We do not hear about kindness or good deeds but about the worse we can do.

As such, how can we stay alert, vigilant and protect our integrity?

Leicaflex Loc: Cymru

First, establish what the chief executive salary is of the charity you are proposing to give to.
You will be surprised at some of the salaries being paid to chief executives these days,
I know I was when I researched twenty well know charities.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Right! So much of the money they collect goes anywhere bu where it's supposed to go.

MikePixx Loc: Sunrise, Fl.

This is for " Rongnongno",

Gee, Were you ever a volunteer for the ARC ?
Those volunteers come from all over the country and volunteer their time in national disasters. all they get is expenses and a great feeling.
It's the services the ARC provides ( food trucks, shelters, lodging etc )and not so much the big bucks. The big bucks goes towards "Services".
The ARC responds to all disasters and does one hell of a job. Volunteers make up 80% of the ARC organization.
ARC depends on Donations.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Do read what I said about volunteers.

This also applies to the churches I really do not like (as well as political party memberships since we are at it).

Individuals volunteers are not responsible for the decay, leaders are. Once the leaders are corrupt for any reason, the organization becomes unreliable and untrustworthy. Look around you will you?

Among the problems you have not only the high salaries and high administration cost as well as high fundraising 'investment' you also a rampant diversion of funds. Remember the various US and international fund drives? Where did the money go? Oh, yes somewhere else and PR.

If too much is given to an area the funds should still be used there regardless of what 'too much really is'. Look at New Orleans, 'too much was given' so funds were diverted yet whole areas of the city have not recovered. Who decided to divert and stop the help???

It has nothing to do with individuals, remember that.

As to volunteer? I was one in what is called 'Protection Civile*' for a few years then as an EMT. In both cases we starved for equipment where was the $$$ donated?

-----

* French Gvt organization that is called before anyone else and trains along side both military and firefighters. They are called for anything from forest fire to other catastrophes by what you can compare as states (departement) under the ORSEC plan. They often work side by side with other organizations like the 'Croix Rouge ~ red cross')

The only 'sort of equivalent' to this you have in the US are the National guards. Major difference: we did not train for war or crowd control, other than safety. A governor can call the National guard to quell civil unrest or to help out. A Prefet can only call for help.

hj Loc: Florida

Absolutely... I AGREE SALVATION ARMY IS BEST FOR HUMANITARIAN DONATIONS.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

As to the Red Cross (RC). It was organized AFTER the Swiss Croix Rouge (CR). Each country has its own organization. The Middle East countries have the 'Red crescent' (RC). The CR was purely made to rescue military and has since been extended to civilians. The red crosses painted on military hospitals and ambulance come from that.

All RC are regrouped into a single entity the International CR and moved from Switzerland to the US where the political slant started. Note that various national RCs were nationalistic outfits in the early 1900s.

Since each country has its own under different organization the level of corruption differs from being fully rotten to incredibly efficient. The average is in the upper middle, the US being in the lower range, as we are in many other areas that concern the citizen welfare. After all American are 'strong self sufficient individuals that can take care of themselves'. We pay a high price for that mentality both in medical cost and quality of services rendered ~ unless you can pay.

micolh Loc: NYC

Salvation Army does a wonderful job. The second largest provider of services/charity to people of all denominations or belief is Catholic Charities. The US Government is the first.

Cykdelic Loc: Now outside of Chiraq & Santa Fe, NM

This from the RC website:

"The fact is an average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in our humanitarian services and programs. We calculate it by comparing our overall spending on programs to our overall spending on fundraising and management and general.

For example, Red Cross total spending in FY15 was $2,896.8M. Of that, Red Cross spent $302.9M on fundraising and management and general. When you compare the two figures, you see that fundraising and management and general were about 10% of our total spending, which means about 90% was invested in our humanitarian services and programs. If you average that over the past five years, the percentage works out to about 91 cents.

How did we invest the dollars we spent on humanitarian services and programs in FY 2015? Here is the breakdown from our audited financial statements:

a. $1,869.1 million - Collect, test, manufacture, and distribute 7 million units of blood products

b. $356.5 million – Respond to disasters – nearly 66,000 per year

c. $48.7 million – Provide more than 352,000 emergency services to our armed forces and their families

d. $146.6 million - Deliver preparedness, health and safety courses like First Aid and CPR

e. $129.8 million – Fund international relief programs

f. $43.1 million – Fund community services (e.g., food banks, transportation programs)"


Doesn't look to bad to me so why all the dissing, Rogno?


Also, see below from Direct Relief:

"Charity Score
1 Direct Relief 100.00
2 Map International 100.00
3 Samaritan’s Purse 98.23
4 Americares 97.59
5 Catholic Medical Mission Board 97.23
6 The Rotary Foundation 97.17
7 Billy Graham Evangelistic Association 97.17
8 Caring Voice Coalition Inc. 96.66
9 United Nations Foundation 96.18
10 Conservation International 95.90