Selfish Charity

May 17, 2006 3:08 PM

Where can I make a charitable donation that will provide me with cool benefits?

I'm looking to make charitable donations of between $2000 and $3000 this year. Steven E. Landsburg discusses the logic of giving all your donations to a single recipient from a strictly economic standpoint, but I also know that there are often benefits associated with larger donations. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, for example, offers free parking in its lot for a year, which would be pretty cool if I still worked across the street and had a car, but I don't and I don't.

Help me make a donation to a worthwhile organization. Bonus points for NYC-related charities. Also, as I don't have a lot of evenings free, I'd prefer to avoid perks like tickets to a lot of shows.

Thanks.

posted by etc. to Work & Money (17 answers total)

If you're looking at that range for tax purposes, be aware that the value of some perqs may have to be accounted for in the amount you write off.
posted by mzurer at 3:18 PM on May 17, 2006

Giving a couple grand to the New York Philharmonic gets you into swanky cocktail parties with Important People.
posted by Saucy Intruder at 3:25 PM on May 17, 2006

And again, I don't read the last sentence of the post before commenting.

OK, next idea: Buy visual art from students or emerging artists. It's both a charity (feeding the poor) and an investment. And access to Important People comes with that too.
posted by Saucy Intruder at 3:27 PM on May 17, 2006

Response by poster: I know, I know. It's selfish, but I'm not looking to, you know, "cash in" here. I'd like for the benefits to not nullify the writeoff. The Botanic Garden example is the kind of thing I'm looking for. It doesn't put any strain on the organization, but it would be nice for me to have.

And, rest assured, I'm not giving my money to the KKK because they give away Mazda Miatas or anything. If I don't find a any good ideas in this thread, I'll do good anyway.
posted by etc. at 3:31 PM on May 17, 2006

Depending on what's on your local PBS during their fundraising drives, you get a gift like the whole 'Anne of Green Gables' dvd collection for donating a sizeable amount (the gift's related to the program you're watching.)
posted by sophie at 3:43 PM on May 17, 2006

Give it to the EFF, maybe they'll get the Feds out of your phone calls.
posted by Ken McE at 3:47 PM on May 17, 2006

If you're interested in the performing arts, The New York City Ballet allows generous benefactors to view working rehearsals of ballets. Dancers are constantly rehearsing, so the times may be more flexible. And it can be very fascinating to get an up close & behind the scenes view of dance - you see the dancers in their most humble moments, i.e. absolutely no make-up or fancy tutus, wearing their ratty warm-ups, ace bandages, etc.
In other words, you'll see all the hard work and dedication that goes into making a work of art.
posted by invisible ink at 3:54 PM on May 17, 2006

Also, many of these rehearsals will take place in the studio itself, so it's a much more personal atmosphere than say, Lincoln Center.
posted by invisible ink at 3:55 PM on May 17, 2006

I give a lot to a lot of different charities in New York, mostly having to do with public art, civil liberties and the like, but probably the best gift I give every year in terms of giving back is the check I write to the Wildlife Conservation Society. WCS is a fantastic organization that has a host of great education and conservation programs both in New York and all over the world, but for a New Yorker (especially one with kids) being a member also offers the huge benefit of free admissions to the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Queens and Prospect Park Zoos and the New York aquarium. Just avoiding the line for the children's zoo on a nice weekend in New York is worth the cost of the membership.

It's a wonderful organization, it does great work and at the levels you want to give there are tons of benefits (parties, members only evenings at the Bronx Zoo, a kids sleep over in the zoo under the stars, etc.). I can't recommend it highly enough.
posted by The Bellman at 3:56 PM on May 17, 2006

Here's the link to NYCB's patron programs (warning: if you're on a Mac, the site is only navigatable through Internet Explorer.)
posted by invisible ink at 3:59 PM on May 17, 2006

Hmm...I was going to ask a similar question but localized to San Francisco. Can i tack it on here?

Right now I give to local Arts and Community organizations. I'd like to expand it this year as well (by about the same as etc.)
posted by vacapinta at 4:01 PM on May 17, 2006

Do you listen to NPR? Commercial free radio is a perk! My husband donated to our local affiliate. He got a travel mug and messanger bag. I think they'll give you a mention on air too - good (brief) opportunity to promote your business/website/project.
posted by delladlux at 4:01 PM on May 17, 2006

In my town, giving about 100 bucks to NPR or PBS or any non-profit media outlet gets you a 2-for-1 card at about 100 restaurants. It's called the Member card.
posted by rabbitsnake at 4:18 PM on May 17, 2006

Check out animal-related organizations. I'm in L.A., not NYC or SF, but the Long Beach Aquarium offers an "animal encounter" when you donate a larger sum. There's probably something like that near NYC.
posted by clh at 4:23 PM on May 17, 2006

Give it to the EFF and get a free phone tapping buddy.
posted by parallax7d at 5:28 PM on May 17, 2006

Donate it to cancer research, it may be the straw that breaks the tumors back. And may save your life someday.
posted by blue_beetle at 8:12 PM on May 17, 2006

Response by poster: Lots of good ideas here. I'm going to look into some further. As someone who doesn't have cable, public television is in the lead.

Sorry, CrayDrygu. I just can't let two grand go to a furry convention. I'm strictly plushy--no furries allowed.
posted by etc. at 6:44 PM on May 18, 2006