I didn't write any of this -- it was on Aol.com written by Ada Calhoun....

I believe this was intended to be tongue-in-cheek...and IF some wealthy person felt like making this happen, they'd likely accept it..But i doubt for 1 minute it was a "real" plea for help

Hey, you never what will happen. There is a chance they could get the money. After all, there are cases of people putting up websites asking other people to pay their credit bills and they get money. Heck, there is even a website where women can ask for boob jobs and men will donate - usually takes donations from several men- and they get their boob job!!!!

At least these people seem to be honest. Crazy, but honest.

Unfortunately, many charities are not what people think. Actually, very little money trickles into the hands of the needy. Most charities only give 15% to the actual cause. It's sad, but true. The administrative costs are very high.

Most people who set up charities mean well, but the truth is different. I worked for a non-profit, charity-like entity. Supposedly we were one of the best/most honest ones out there. I'm very idealistic, so I really believed in the bologney the management were feeding their employees. The truth was that the company did some things borderline scamming in order to get more money from the STATE (our tax dollars). Too much to go into their tactics, so I won't. Also, they would send out mailings/solicitations to people, crying poverty. When money came in, the management got the raise first. They paid the ground employees bare minimum what the STATE would make them do, or else the state would not give the charity any money. Yes, there were kick backs from United Way etc. Sick,I tell you. The ground employees worked hard & for peanuts. The management had very nice jobs, the best health insurance, benefits, worked only 32 hours etc.

They always complained that "the industry" doesn't pay much. I thought they(management) got paid very well. They hardly worked. Most of their work consisted of making it look like they were doing something & shuffling paperwork. They came in when they pleased. Left when they pleased. They only worried about how to get more money funneled into the facility. I didn't see ANY of the management care about the people they were supposedly helping!!!

I worked in Human resources so I had access to lots of information. It bothered me to see some things. I left the facility. It gave me a bad taste for charities in general.

I actually did a paper in college on charities. When 15% goes to the actual cause, that is a GREAT percentage! Yikes! That gives you some food for thought...

I believe in DIRECT giving to the needy. DH gives to a couple of his favorite ones. He's still in denial. Now, the only charities "I" help out are animal charities, because somebody has to take care of the animals. I have not met anyone working with animals who was rich or didn't love animals. However, most people charities are borderline scams. You always read in the paper how someone is hauled away to jail for misappropriating funds. I believe, that's only a tiny glimps into the real picture. There are many LEGAL ways of getting & appropriating money from the public for charities & "the management" have themselves nice jobs with benefits. The grunge workers defend the charities because they are really in it for the right reasons. They see the happiness in the needy eyes. However, the mangement only worries about getting more money for their nice jobs...

"Unfortunately, many charities are not what people think. Actually, very little money trickles into the hands of the needy. Most charities only give 15% to the actual cause."

I've wondered about this. I used to work for a big company (1000+ employees). Every year they would "encourage" us to make a donation to United Way. The way they did this made it clear who was (or wasn't) donating.

I didn't appreciate being told (or shamed) what charities I should donate to. Especially after reading how much money the CEO is paid.

dabunch, I agree about giving directly to the needy as well as to animal charities. I like to give locally. Have you visited the animal rescue site (www.theanimalrescuesite.com)? They are owned and operated by CharityUSA.com, LLC.

"Each click on the purple "Click Here to Give - it's FREE" button at The Animal Rescue Site provides food and care for a rescued animal living in a shelter or sanctuary. Funding for food and care is paid by site sponsors and distributed to animals in need".

I don't know much about them, but since they aren't actually asking for money, I don't feel that I have anything to lose by clicking on their link.

They may also be making a point, with their ad.

If they have any brains at all, they're not expecting someone to give them money. But maybe they're trying to point out that even though they can afford a pretty hefty price (*I* can't afford $600k!), they're still being priced out of their neighborhood.

Sorry to say it doesn't matter whether a 'non-profit' says it helps people or animals. (The whole term 'non-profit' isn't what you think anyway. To be brief, it only means they spend everything they take in.)

I've served on a few volunteer boards for non-profit agencies. I've seen my share of dilettants and watched United Way volunteers determine how to divide the funds among agencies. IMO, this is upside down, with too much going to feel good stuff like vague morale booster 'mental health' programs instead of basic needs like food,housing and health care. It's easy to claim service to hundreds if you are a Scout Troup or a Senior Center hosting bridge games -- very nice, but hardly as serious a need as making sure a couple of families and some Seniors have housing and heat.

It is very easy for a volunteer board to be led around by the nose by a crafty paid director. (See also: some school boards and their superintendents.) People sign up for this out of real desire to help -- and sometimes because it looks good on a resume. Few are qualified by education or experience, or have enough time to dig into what's going on.

I ONLY give to LOCAL organizations that provide basic services, on sliding scales, where the director and board are dedicated to the people they serve and to squeezing every nickel.

Regarding the charity issue, there is a website that evaluates, classifies and rates different charitable organizations called charitynavigator.org. I've found them quite useful and informative.

Two things:
1) The charities that are near-scams, alluded to above, are what make me re-think giving to orgs of any kind. Direct-to-needy is the ONLY way to go once you know this. And now you do. Remember the United Way CEO who stole a few years ago? That "charity" is still going strong.

2) The UWS "whiners"... so what? They are asking. Haven't you heard the saying, "don't ask, don't get?" How are they hurting anybody? I wish them luck. Of course, I wish the truly needy much, much more luck.

One should not tar all charities with the same brush. Our state has a charity board that determines the percentage of help given to the community. Easy to check and keeps everyone honest. Our United Way give a huge percentage of its money to the community. Their administrative costs are low.

It is responsibility of the giver to check out the veracity of a charity. If you are dumb enough to be suckered, then I am sorry, but it hurts all honest charities when one assumes they are all crooks.

bbcjohn,

One of the REAL problems is that you cannot check the veracity of a charity. The real operation & the one on paper are 2 different things. Only the CEO knows what he/she is doing. In EVERY facility, non profit or profit, there are things going on that only a few employees are aware of. The rest trust blindly & look at the "reports" with glassy eyes.

I'm not calling charities any names. The ones I've dealt with, disappointed me. That is all I will say. I don't want to sway peoples opinions.

Although, I will tell you this: We joke with friends, especially with the ones whose jobs have been outsourced that the thing to do is open up a Non-Profit/Charity entity. This way they can create a nice job with benefits for themselves ;)

As you see around you, good paying jobs are disappearing from this country with the speed of lightening. It seems as though, only the top 1% will have great incomes...and the Charities, of course.

I think NY Mag ads are pricey. I doubt it's a joke.

As a landlord, I meet that type as prospective tenants who ask me to lower the rent because they can't pay that much but they want the conveniently located, nicely renovated/maintained, clean appartment. They don't think it's overpriced (I ask them) they just can't afford it. I now screen them out on the phone.