Looking for charities that connect you to individuals or small groups
December 10, 2024 11:06 AM Subscribe
I have donated to DonorsChoose website, which connect you to classroom teachers all over the country and their unique little projects for students. But there are practices of the website that I don't know if it's best. Looking for other perspectives and other similar charity organizations.
I used to donate to a variety of organizations through Charity Navigator but the whole process seems a bit opaque to me and I have no idea how much my donations are helping some organizations that I don't know anything about. So I am looking for type of donation opportunities that connect you to individual people in need.
DonorsChoose list little projects posted by teachers and they show a progress bar for how much money is needed for the project to be "fully funded." This seems pretty straightforward. But recently I clicked on the itemized details of where the donation will actually go, and wayyyy down in the bottom after listing of all the school supplies they list that 15% of the donation would actually go to DonorsChoose website itself. They deliberately made it hard to see that information and on first glance I think most people, like me, would have thought that all their money went to the teacher's projects. This additional cost is rolled into the total fund required to "fully fund" the project, so it gives the impression that without contributing to DonorsChoose, none of the teachers' projects can be considered complete.
This doesn't sit well with me. If DonorsChoose want to solicit donation for their operations, I think they should be more transparent about it. It just feels scammy.
I need a reality check. Is my disappointment about DonorsChoose reasonable?
I've also looked in Kiva, which is a microfinance charity that connect you to individuals in other countries that need help. However this article gives me pause about their practices, such as very high executive pay compared to other charity organizations, creation of for-profit section, etc.
Bottom line, I am looking for organization that allow you to give directly to individuals, organizations that are transparent in solicitations for their own operations.
I used to donate to a variety of organizations through Charity Navigator but the whole process seems a bit opaque to me and I have no idea how much my donations are helping some organizations that I don't know anything about. So I am looking for type of donation opportunities that connect you to individual people in need.
DonorsChoose list little projects posted by teachers and they show a progress bar for how much money is needed for the project to be "fully funded." This seems pretty straightforward. But recently I clicked on the itemized details of where the donation will actually go, and wayyyy down in the bottom after listing of all the school supplies they list that 15% of the donation would actually go to DonorsChoose website itself. They deliberately made it hard to see that information and on first glance I think most people, like me, would have thought that all their money went to the teacher's projects. This additional cost is rolled into the total fund required to "fully fund" the project, so it gives the impression that without contributing to DonorsChoose, none of the teachers' projects can be considered complete.
This doesn't sit well with me. If DonorsChoose want to solicit donation for their operations, I think they should be more transparent about it. It just feels scammy.
I need a reality check. Is my disappointment about DonorsChoose reasonable?
I've also looked in Kiva, which is a microfinance charity that connect you to individuals in other countries that need help. However this article gives me pause about their practices, such as very high executive pay compared to other charity organizations, creation of for-profit section, etc.
Bottom line, I am looking for organization that allow you to give directly to individuals, organizations that are transparent in solicitations for their own operations.
I felt that Donor Choose was reasonably transparent, maybe because I'm in the habit of looking at that detailed cost breakdown and they do very clearly list it as part of the project.
I think there can be a conversation about whether this should be built into the cost of the project or they should do separate fundraising to make sure that they have the ability to do their work. But there is at least an argument that says that it costs money to create and maintain the infrastructure needed to help teachers get the word out and support people in making targeted donations and so the people who are donating to help get resources to the classroom should also be willing to support the structure that enables that to happen.
posted by metahawk at 1:02 PM on December 10, 2024 [5 favorites]
I think there can be a conversation about whether this should be built into the cost of the project or they should do separate fundraising to make sure that they have the ability to do their work. But there is at least an argument that says that it costs money to create and maintain the infrastructure needed to help teachers get the word out and support people in making targeted donations and so the people who are donating to help get resources to the classroom should also be willing to support the structure that enables that to happen.
posted by metahawk at 1:02 PM on December 10, 2024 [5 favorites]
On Imgur there is a regular event held by a user named TheFreePizzaDude where you buy takeout or groceries for a user in need. They post and you reply and then you both continue planning over private messaging. Be sure to read the most recent post in detail for all the rules. I haven't participated in this myself and I am not sure of the exact schedule, but I find this a very direct way to help others with no overhead. They also take donations.
posted by soelo at 1:33 PM on December 10, 2024
posted by soelo at 1:33 PM on December 10, 2024
You asked for a reality check about operating costs. This was my reality check about giving to charity and the often-maligned concept of "overhead." Both are written by Vu Le, the director of a nonprofit org in Seattle. Reading these made me realize that I was probably holding nonprofits to unfair standards:
How the focus on overhead disenfranchises communities of color and fans the flames of injustice
How to deal with uninformed nonprofit-watchdogs around the holidays
I would also urge you to participate in community mutual aid efforts, which might give you the feeling of directness you are looking for.
posted by oxisos at 3:03 PM on December 10, 2024 [7 favorites]
How the focus on overhead disenfranchises communities of color and fans the flames of injustice
How to deal with uninformed nonprofit-watchdogs around the holidays
I would also urge you to participate in community mutual aid efforts, which might give you the feeling of directness you are looking for.
posted by oxisos at 3:03 PM on December 10, 2024 [7 favorites]
This additional cost is rolled into the total fund required to "fully fund" the project, so it gives the impression that without contributing to DonnorsChoose, none of the teachers' projects can be considered complete.
Just to clarify how the system works, choosing not to give the 15% means they'll remove your share of the 15% from the amount needed to "fully fund" the project. If you set the thing to 0% and fund the entire subtotal of the project yourself, it will be fully funded without any donation to DonorsChoose. If you set the thing to 0% and fund half of the project yourself, nobody else will be asked to give more to make up the difference.
Insofar as these things go, I think they're pretty transparent. They break down exactly what's being purchased and where the money is going, detail different categories of costs like sales taxes and payment processing fees, disclose the optional 15% donation in both the breakdown and the cart, give you control over it, and don't use anyone's decision to not give the 15% as a reason to leave the teacher hanging or try to hit up other donors for more. Arguably, they could do more, such as making the 15% more prominent on the project page in addition to the cart page, and I think it's reasonable to feel surprised at seeing it, but overall they're being more transparent and offering more control than the vast majority of charitable organizations.
And fundamentally, they do have operating costs and rely on donors to cover them. Short of purely volunteer-organized mutual aid, that's a fact of life, and part of supporting an organization is trusting them (within reasonable limits of trust) to make the best decisions about how to spend funds to get their stuff done. Everyone wants to be the big donor with their name on the side of the shiny new campus gym, and nobody wants to be the donor who pays the electric bill, but the gym is useless if they can't afford to keep the lights on.
posted by zachlipton at 3:40 PM on December 10, 2024 [3 favorites]
Just to clarify how the system works, choosing not to give the 15% means they'll remove your share of the 15% from the amount needed to "fully fund" the project. If you set the thing to 0% and fund the entire subtotal of the project yourself, it will be fully funded without any donation to DonorsChoose. If you set the thing to 0% and fund half of the project yourself, nobody else will be asked to give more to make up the difference.
Insofar as these things go, I think they're pretty transparent. They break down exactly what's being purchased and where the money is going, detail different categories of costs like sales taxes and payment processing fees, disclose the optional 15% donation in both the breakdown and the cart, give you control over it, and don't use anyone's decision to not give the 15% as a reason to leave the teacher hanging or try to hit up other donors for more. Arguably, they could do more, such as making the 15% more prominent on the project page in addition to the cart page, and I think it's reasonable to feel surprised at seeing it, but overall they're being more transparent and offering more control than the vast majority of charitable organizations.
And fundamentally, they do have operating costs and rely on donors to cover them. Short of purely volunteer-organized mutual aid, that's a fact of life, and part of supporting an organization is trusting them (within reasonable limits of trust) to make the best decisions about how to spend funds to get their stuff done. Everyone wants to be the big donor with their name on the side of the shiny new campus gym, and nobody wants to be the donor who pays the electric bill, but the gym is useless if they can't afford to keep the lights on.
posted by zachlipton at 3:40 PM on December 10, 2024 [3 favorites]
Mod note: Original post edited to change "DonnorsChoose" to "DonorsChoose" to reflect the actual name.
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 3:45 PM on December 10, 2024
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 3:45 PM on December 10, 2024
The Financials page and the other tabs on the About Us section of the DC site have a lot of additional detailed information, including financial statements and such if you really care to dig in.
posted by Pryde at 6:45 PM on December 10, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by Pryde at 6:45 PM on December 10, 2024 [1 favorite]
But recently I clicked on the itemized details of where the donation will actually go, and wayyyy down in the bottom after listing of all the school supplies they list that 15% of the donation would actually go to DonorsChoose website itself.
I think they should be more transparent about it. It just feels scammy.
If you click on the little information icon next to this item, it says
"Every donor can opt out of this during checkout.
We encourage donors to dedicate 15% of their donations to support the work we do to engage teachers, build awareness, fund additional projects, and generally run DonorsChoose.
Our efficiency has earned DonorsChoose the top 4-star rating from Charity Navigator. We give donors transparency and control when it comes to supporting our lean operation."
So I guess I'm not really sure what you need. This seems extremely transparent to me.
posted by oneirodynia at 7:57 PM on December 10, 2024 [3 favorites]
I think they should be more transparent about it. It just feels scammy.
If you click on the little information icon next to this item, it says
"Every donor can opt out of this during checkout.
We encourage donors to dedicate 15% of their donations to support the work we do to engage teachers, build awareness, fund additional projects, and generally run DonorsChoose.
Our efficiency has earned DonorsChoose the top 4-star rating from Charity Navigator. We give donors transparency and control when it comes to supporting our lean operation."
So I guess I'm not really sure what you need. This seems extremely transparent to me.
posted by oneirodynia at 7:57 PM on December 10, 2024 [3 favorites]
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In my opinion, yes. I understand that sites have operating costs, and at the very least, there are costs associated with payment processing, which need to be covered somehow. But (and this is my big gripe with Humble Bundle) it always seems really scammy when something is presented as benefiting charity, and then they wind up giving only a tiny slice to charity, or otherwise bury the details in the fine print. If an org is operating in good faith and wants to be open and transparent, why not clearly and openly disclose those fees on the transaction page? I think most people have an expectation that websites and organizations have operating costs, but I think most people also have an expectation that those costs be openly disclosed up front, and be reasonable. If they're being shady and evasive about this, what else are they doing that is also sketchy?
posted by xedrik at 12:23 PM on December 10, 2024