Time to start giving

May 6, 2011 12:49 PM

I'm starting to make a lot of money, and I'd like to focus my charitable giving.

In the past, I've periodically donated small amounts to various charities - usually when asked by family or friends to support a cause.

While I plan on continuing this, I'm now making a lot of money and I'd like to pick a charity to focus my time and money on. I don't want something where I just send money - I'd like to interact with the people/area that's receiving the donations, attend fundraisers, etc.

I don't have one specific cause that really gets me going - I think there are plenty of charities that are great and deserving of donations. I just feel that, for me, I will be more inclined to donate my time and money if it's a more rewarding experience for me, which is what I think I'd get from focusing more on one particular charity.

As a side-note, I'm in the NYC area, so something focused on or based here might be good.

Is there a resource or website that I could refer to? Let's say I want to see what type of charities focus on literacy among inner-city kids...or on providing newborns with vaccinations. What can I look at to help decide?

As you can see, I'm sort of all over the place here...basically, I'm new to having money and wanting to put my money and time towards a good cause. Any experiences, advice, insight, resources, etc. are welcome.

Thanks!

posted by anonymous to Society & Culture (22 answers total)

The Nature Conservancy.
posted by BobbyDigital at 1:10 PM on May 6, 2011

Support the "Past"

Performing spaces: Attend performances and give money to the Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. US$2000+ and above will get your name on the playbill for a season (check to make sure).

Help the "Present"

Performing arts: Attend ballets and concerts. American Ballet Theater, New York Ballet Theater, the New York Philharmonic... You can show your love by attending or giving. US$2000+ and above will get your name on the playbill for a season. (again, check to make sure... I think it's significantly more for the Met Opera)

Fund the "Future"

a) alma mater: I give money to UTCS. I first went there for student exchange and later went back for graduate school. I have many good friends and loved the experience! We are building a new computer science complex and money is needed. Note that I typed "complex" and not "building", "hall", or "extension"...

b) Giving money to Julliard.
posted by jchaw at 1:19 PM on May 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

If you are interested in coordinating your philathopy with your taxes &/or estate planning, there are financial planners who focus exclusively on philanthropic planning. The one that I know is also very rigorous in researching which organizations are the most efficient in getting your money to the actual cause, as opposed to administration, etc.

I've been impressed with how good strategizing lets the same dollar benefit a whole string of causes and people.
posted by small_ruminant at 1:20 PM on May 6, 2011

Here's another worthy place you can help.

New York Public School 188 is situated in lower Manhattan, PS 188 is not your typical elementary/middle school, but a school that is always in transition. Quite a few of the students who attend PS 188 live at the homeless shelter, which is located just across the street. Many of these kids not only go to school at PS 188, but they spend the majority of their days there, even eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The teachers who teach them during the day become the people they trust to help them once the school day is over.

You, and other like-minded people can help, by sponsoring programs at PS 188 including: mentoring, classroom beautification, supply drives, career and empowerment days, classroom reading, math clubs, support for school field trips and more.
posted by jchaw at 1:30 PM on May 6, 2011 [2 favorites]

I find it much more rewarding to give to charities that I volunteer with or use their services - you get something out of the experience and you're better assured that the charity is meeting your standards for doing good work. If you've been giving small amounts to many charities, you're likely getting a number of newsletters - see if one has an opportunity that is particularly appealing. Do any offer trainings, need board members, etc?

You can also call 2-1-1 for non-profit information (mostly they give referrals to people in need), if you really don't know where to start.
posted by momus_window at 1:55 PM on May 6, 2011

It sounds like the time and effort you give to this cause is part of the reward you're seeking; getting that tangible feeling of "I'm making a difference" is something that your money can help you achieve, but goes beyond just signing a check to make sure that you get your name on a playbill.

My involvement with my local homeless services organization has been amazing on that front. Sure, working with the adults involved sometimes leads to heartbreak, and having a couple of kids disappear from a community because they got taken by CPS (with reason) is hard, but even though I'm emphatically not a "kid person", I'm looking forward to loading up the truck to go help formerly homeless families build stuff and be creative this evening, and seeing the changes, the growing competence and sense of self-worth, that this program gives the kids (and the parents who choose to participate) is so amazingly worth it.

I like jchaw's suggestion of finding programs in schools, but I've found that places where I like the organization enough to give to it, but where I can then pick a small piece of that organization, one or a few clients, a small piece of land, what-have-you, and focus my energies on that lets me both trust the organization, because I'm seeing how it works, and have that intense personal involvement that makes it worthwhile to me.
posted by straw at 2:04 PM on May 6, 2011

If it's time for you to start thinking about how to organize your philanthropy, it's time to start thinking about how to organize your money so that you can maximize your charitable impact.

You can set up a meeting with the New York Community Trust and begin your own Donor Advised Fund there. Their advisers are like financial advisers with the added benefit of completely understanding the lay of the land in New York philanthropy. They will help you set up your wealth, organize your philanthropic preferences, connect you with nonprofits who will treat you in the way you want to be treated, etc.

This way of organizing your philanthropy also has the benefit of allowing you to act like a private foundation without all the paperwork and hiring staff to handle that paperwork. I'm sure if you're wealthy enough to be asking this question, your taxes are already a hassle. :)

Community Trusts are pretty much the best singular sources of philanthropic advising in America. Get in touch with yours, the sooner you do the sooner you can start giving.
posted by juniperesque at 2:05 PM on May 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

I like to think about spreading it out to something 1) needs-based, like a local homeless shelter / work program, 2) the arts (they sometimes let you fund blocks of tickets of tickets for school groups, which gets extra bonus kids in there), 3) and health-care related - so many Americans struggle with health-care costs, especially with catastrophic illnesses.

That said, I've mainly focused on the environment and women's issues. But think about the areas that interest you most, then see what local charities might suit your other needs.
posted by ldthomps at 2:05 PM on May 6, 2011

It's not in New York, but I'll mention the Victory Junction Camp http://www.victoryjunction.org/
Victory Junction is a camp for seriously ill children that allows them to attend camp for a week along with children that share the same or similar illnesses. The camp is totally free for the children to attend. The camp allows them to forget about their illness ( as much as possible) and enjoy themselves in a very safe and fun environment. The camp along with Texas Childrens Hospital has become my charities of choice. I personally find nothing sadder in this world than sick kids, but there is a never ending list of good causes.
posted by Buckshot at 2:07 PM on May 6, 2011

As ldthomps says, think about the areas that you feel a personal connection to. When you read the paper or watch the news, what issues do you feel most strongly about? Are there any issues that you / your family / your loved ones have been affected by?

Also, you mention wanting to get involved on the front line - I'm assuming you mean volunteering rather than getting a guided tour of the local homelessness shelter because you've made a sizeable donation and they want to keep your money coming in? So look at what local charities would enable you to do that (I'm assuming you work full time, so those opportunities may be limited).

I'd recommend doing some volunteering first, so that you know what you're getting involved with. You may find that the promotion on the website / from the fundraisers doesn't always translate into a front line operation that you agree with. Conversely, smaller charities without a high profile might look a bit amateurish if you just check out their website or talk to a fundraiser, but you might really connect with how they're delivering services on the ground and find yourself wanting to get more involved.

So I'd suggest taking your time, doing some thinking, and some practical research (as well as the basics of getting the annual report and talking to the office staff). What you want to do is a wonderful thing - you'll find it's a wonderful experience for you as well. Good luck.
posted by finding.perdita at 2:24 PM on May 6, 2011

First off, thanks for thinking about more than the latest toys you can buy for yourself. Money is definitely one of those things that is more enjoyable when shared. I have long worked in the social services sector, volunteered and donated to causes I believe in. There is always room for more people to help.

Also, I think it's okay to not work on or donate to everything that's important to you. Focused effort & money will indeed have a greater impact than $20 or $200 to everyone who asks.

Community Foundations are specifically geared towards helping people part with their money in self-targeted ways. In Toronto, the staff help potential donors identify "worthy" causes and help charities connect with donors who don't necessarily have as much money as a Ford or Carnegie, but want to give consistently. The Toronto Community Foundation also maintains a "Community Knowledge Base" of the organizations it thinks are leaders that anyone can peruse over the interwebs - this would be a great resource for someone like yourself who wants to be connected to a charitable organization on multiple levels (ie. as donor, volunteer, etc.) In New York City, the Community Foundation is actually the New York Community Trust. I don't know what scale of donations you're envisioning or what the threshold of the Trust's named funds might be.

Personally, I have tried* to take the approach of identifying what set of issues are important to me (e.g. housing, women, food security), and then gone about finding organizations that look to be doing things I respect in those categories. Is it the soup kitchen you walk past on your way to work? an effective editorial you saw online? Talk to people you know and respect about what's important to them, and what you'd like to do. They might have ideas of where your interests and talents can be best connected. Your local United Way, United Jewish Appeal, Mosque or ShareLife will also list its member organizations on their websites- these will also be vetted, stable groups with a track record.

Then, BEFORE offering to volunteer, I think about what I want to do - write, stuff envelopes, meet new people, change policy. If you don't have some idea what you want to do, you run the risk of being asked to do things you DON'T want to do (busy-work or to organize a fundraiser); if you have skills you want to develop, or things you especially enjoy/hate, tell people that upfront. You may or may not want to use your professional skills as a volunteer, either is okay. Not every organization that interests you will need your volunteer help. Better to be find that out at the beginning, then waste time and get frustrated.

With volunteering, you can also start small - by volunteering at a one-off event and work your way up to more regular volunteering. Or if your work/life commitments limit you, you can just be an event volunteer - in Toronto, many theaters use volunteers as ushers - you can see plays for free if you're willing to take a bad seat at the back and open the doors before & after the performance.

The one thing I will caution you about is that folks who need help are just folks like you and me. They might even be reading metafilter. Don't expect that just because you want to "help" that they want to accept it in the way you are offering it. People are entitled to make their own choices in life, and the staff of many organizations are rightfully protective of their clients. Revelations of priests, coaches, doctors and others taking advantage of vulnerable kids, adults and animals mean that you might not get to do what you want right away. Just because you're willing to work for free means you get to dictate all the terms.

Volunteering can be a really satisfying way to meet new people and shape the world you live in. Good luck and have fun.

* What really happens is that I meet someone interesting, who is connected to someone doing good work, and they find out I have some free time, and before you know it, I'm on the Board and leading the fundraising committee. At least I don't have to sell cookies.
posted by Heart_on_Sleeve at 2:34 PM on May 6, 2011

Givewell is an evidence-based organization. "Unlike existing evaluators, which focus solely on financials, assessing administrative or fundraising costs, we focus on how well programs actually work – i.e., their effects on the people they serve."

They demand a huge amount of data, so there are a lot of great places that they don't rate, but you can be pretty confident that the places they recommend are good.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 2:39 PM on May 6, 2011

Just for information's sake: the Givewell organization has a history on this site. Here's a link to the mefi wiki that explains the History of Givewell on Metafilter, and a very recent followup Metatalk discussion of Givewell's current status.
posted by LobsterMitten at 2:46 PM on May 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'd like to pick a charity to focus my time and money on
I'm in the NYC area
want to see what type of charities focus on literacy among inner-city kids

The Urban Assembly

- Located in NYC
- 69% of our students qualify for free and reduced lunch programs.
- 64% are below proficiency in reading.

Volunteer your TIME by becoming a Partner or Mentor
Donate your money to any of their noble causes

Even better, if you work at any large corporation, there are employee matching funds available.
posted by calm down at 3:02 PM on May 6, 2011 [2 favorites]

While Givewell has a history, they have some interesting ideas about donations. They suggest that effectiveness-wise, if you determine the one charity that helps "the most" then spreading your charity dollars around is not being as effective as possible. Metafilter user Miko is probably someone worth discussing this with if you're ok with not being anonymous -- she works in a Non-Profit and has a lot of experience and advice to give.

I've found with my charitable giving that it's not easy for me to be effective using my volunteer time -- it'd be more profitable for most charities for me to spend overtime working and donate the extra money to them. But if there's a charity where you can use your expertise in helping, that will work out well.

One of the things I do is set all my charity money for the year aside into one account, and at the end of the year send out donations to my charities of choice. This makes tax time easier for me. Many charities are also setup to take pay-check to pay-check donations from you as well, which helps them out at budget time.
posted by garlic at 3:10 PM on May 6, 2011

I don't have any specific charities in mind for you but as an NPO employee I would ask that you not base any giving decision solely on Charity Navigator ratings. Why? Because I've worked at place where the ratings swung wildly from year to year based on their formula. If you are interested in a place but the rating seems low you could always talk to the group and see what they have to say.

Workplace giving programs are awesome. I don't know if your company has one but many match funds and some even give donations based on volunteer time spent with an organization. Some can be restricted to certain geographic areas and areas of interest but it's worth a look at stretching your donation $$.

Other things to consider if you give through a fund or a united way instead of directly to a group is how quickly the group would get your money, whether or not they will receive contact information for you and whether any fees would be deducted from your donation to cover processing costs.
posted by oneear at 3:41 PM on May 6, 2011

Writer Andy Crouch had a really good post on the idea of planning out your giving: A Balanced Portfolio. In it, he says: "When you start seriously studying the ways Americans give money, ... one of the [first] things you realize is that they give money mostly to people like themselves, who lead organizations that benefit people like themselves, for causes that matter to people like themselves. And when they do escape from such self-referential giving, it is largely in response to crisis and sentimentality rather than an intentional approach to lasting investment."

To counteract that, he and his wife try to "diversify their portfolio" of giving, just as they'd diversify an investment in a retirement fund. He continues:

1. We want to balance our giving between organizations based in the United States and those based outside (mostly in the developing world, where a dollar often goes incredibly far).

2. We want to give equally to organizations that have non-white-Westerners in major leadership roles and to organizations that are led by people who look like us.

3. And we want to support some organizations where the gift we can afford to make is greater than 1% of their budget (so that we’re making a noticeable impact on their total need) and others where our gift is a smaller portion (but is likely to be used efficiently).

I thought you'd appreciate the intentionality of his strategy, as it seems like you, too, are looking for ways to make meaningful and appreciable differences.
posted by Alt F4 at 4:52 PM on May 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'd like to add, as someone whose career has been in nonprofits, that the "money to the cause rather than administration" thing always makes me cringe a bit.

Certainly there are nonprofits which range from incompetently inefficient to outright despicable in their management of donations. But effective programs require great administration, and great administration is a lot of work, and the administrative staff deserves a fair wage and have opportunities for advancement. Between the race for as-favorable-as-possible Charity Navigator ratings and some good old fashioned martyrdom, there's a culture in some nonprofits that "doing good" should be considered an employee benefit equivalent to, oh, at least 20% of your pay.

So yes, look at the ratings, but don't get too wrapped up in metrics.
posted by desuetude at 10:00 PM on May 6, 2011

I love community foundations. They are really crucial sources of support for so many institutions, and they are pretty great about spreading funding out to what the greatest needs/potentials are in a given area.

I don't have any specific charities in mind for you but as an NPO employee I would ask that you not base any giving decision solely on Charity Navigator ratings.

Tending to agree - I think what Charity Navigator is best for is starting your research by narrowing down cause areas and familiarizing you with some of the active charities.
posted by Miko at 10:03 PM on May 6, 2011

I would suggest you do some reading to think about why and what you want to support. My strong interest in charitable giving really started after I read Peter Singer's The Life You Can Save. There are many other books of course on the subject, but that's the one that changed my behavior.
posted by R343L at 10:28 PM on May 6, 2011

Alt f4 has the closest to what I would do. I have met really nice smart people supporting organisations that I would not want to give a buck to because their on the ground programs are badly run, but they have charming presentations and clean financials.

It is much more effective to narrow your giving to one or two non-profits. You'll have a bigger impact and be far more likely to help a better choice.

You *cannot* look at the financial overview alone. If it's a reasonably large amount, you should be able to get access to more detailed financial information. Because of the emphasis on operations vs the mythical low administration, some places will list fundraising costs under outreacheducation etc. Administration is vital to a well-run organisation, so I would focus on making sure that most of the money goes to operations and admin, not fundraising. More than 20% on fundraising would start raising my eyebrows, not because fundraising is inherently wrong - it's vital to the work - but because a good smart program should be able to get support without diverting the budget. Always look at the top staff's salaries, and compare them to similar organisations' salaries, and also to the business salaries in the region. You can't expect a great non-profit CEO to work well or long-term for less than the median in the area he lives in, but they shouldn't be raking in more either. Lousy pay means they eventually leave, burnt out, but too much pay is a waste.

Ask about how they monitor and evaluate programs. Say it's to preserve a wetland area, so they're trying to encourage eco-tourism, get locals to change practices, etc. Do they count success by the number of bird species increasing? Do they have a control region to compare to? Are they taking credit for someone else's work or changes?

Try to visit the program several times and ask questions. Especially try and talk to the benficiaries if you can. Do they have an ethics policy? Would you, if you were in their shoes, feel compassionately treated with dignity?

When people approach us about funding, we usually try to link them to unrestricted funding for a program that's close to their hearts. Restricted funding is a giant headache and doesn't do much to improve the program, compared to being an actively involved donor (expect answers to questions within a week's turnaround, expect quarterly reports etc)

It's good to get involved with a cause you're passionate about. If I wasn't working in my field, I would be focusing on advocacy against the death penalty and North Korean refugees. For some of my donors, it's been early childhood education or medical care or sports, because they had a personal connection through their children for example. It's neat if it's something you can directly volunteer at, but I would focus on the quality of the program first.

Basically: pick a passion, shortlist places with good reputations and then question them hard, looking at real numbers and outcomes, and choose just one.

If that's too much, donate to Doctors without Borders to do the most good for your money safely.
posted by viggorlijah at 3:43 AM on May 10, 2011 [1 favorite]

If it's a reasonably large amount, you should be able to get access to more detailed financial information.

This is really true; establish a direct relationship with a development officer. You can even cold-call and say "I'm ready to begin supporting an organization regularly and meaningfully and would like to talk with one of your officers about the programming and outcomes." For smaller, more incremental donations this is not a good use of the organization's time, but if you're giving in the thousands annually and expressing seriousness of intent, you can expect access to the detailed information you want.
posted by Miko at 9:30 AM on May 10, 2011