In my case, I have narrowed it down to two groups that are very important to me and those are our local animal shelter and our local performing arts center. If I only support those two, I can send them each nice contributions this time of year rather than spreading myself too thin. Having said that, I do drop donations of canned food into the food drive box at the grocery store and just recently donated a box full of toiletry kits off at the local agency that aids the homeless and sometimes I buy raffle tickets to support the fund raising efforts of various groups. But those are more random - my two main groups always get a donation no matter what.

I've come to realize over the years that I don't have the resources to support every single organization that needs help and that's just the way it is.

this year we did the kettle (the first we'd seen) we also do purple heart during the year...

I also contribute to my local public radio station, since i have it on for 5 or 6 hours a day.

I donate regularly to Blood Water Mission because the work they do touches my heart.

I used to donate to a whole lot of organizations, but I found that they sold my information and I got a lot of solicitations and phone calls. Now I just give to certain some local shelters, public radio, and a guy that rescues animals.

Sleeper, I'm sorry the information sellers stole your joy.

We're giving to two deserving organizations this year. Unique Productions at Levy Special Education Center, Wichita Kansas, and another that is very close to my heart; Fluttering Families, advocates for special needs kids. We also donate hundreds of hours of service to Fluttering Families. It's keeping us energized in retirement. :)

I do as Dawn does. I give to the Human Society and to the Paralyzed Veterans.

I will always contribute to the food drives outside of the supermarkets. And, if I see young students selling candy for their sport teams, I always buy that. If I don't have enough cash to buy something, I will give the cash I have as a donation.

Satine, your brother's scholarship fund reminded me of a friend of my sister's. The friend is a nurse and she each year she pays for a needy student to go to nursing school! I love this idea because she is involved in the choosing process and would present the award to the recipient.

Although I will never stop donating, you always wonder just how much is actually given to the cause.

My regular ones are St. Judes, Salvation Army, Easter Seals, and Special Olympics. You can check charities on line to see their percentages used for administration, etc.

I'm spread thinly across a number of charities--environmental, library, public radio, schools, pet rescue. I donated to Audubon this year too.

Everyone knows you can choose a charity through Amazon, and a portion of purchases goes to it, right?

If unsure about a charity, go to Charity Navigator for ratings on many.

I already got a Christmas gift: a goat was donated in my honor by way of Heifer Int'l.

I tend to donate more to locally organized charities because I feel like more of the money I donate goes to the people in need. I donate when I see a need or a specific individual. I'll drop a few bucks here and there into the Salvation Army kettles when I'm out and about because I think they do help a lot of people.

I sometimes get roped into donating to the big charities with small payout, but I donate more out of goodwill than thought of a charitable act.

I haven't seen any bell ringers this year? Huh. I contribute year round to the group I help. It's never enough.

We stay local, and we focus on only *human* services. We give where we know the organization selects worthy recipients -- and seeks other, public funding if available. (Grants are not usually given without the grantor checking out the organization.)

One group provides housing, repairs and transportation to needy seniors. They also run two small apartment buildings that employ younger couples (with kids) to live in -- and add some 'life'! (This was an outgrowth of workers with Little Brothers of the Poor.)

Another is the area Food Bank -- bigger than we'd like, but best option here.

A third is township-wide: Mothers Trust. It provides help *within days* in response to appeals from needy families for 'small things' like a eye glasses, school uniforms, shoes, bus or lunch money, the little 'extra' that makes day camp possible. Applicants are referred by social workers, teachers, etc. There's one paid employee.

We long supported the original hospice in Chicago when it served a less affluent area. Now it's morphed into a big operation, merging with two other hospices with very well-to-do populations. (Seems like 'one big pot' and too much overhead.)

I avoid the national organizations, just out of principle. I also avoid the orgs that seem to me to put more emphasis on their own continued existence than on the purpose they exist to serve. If you don't get that, sorry.

Our contributions over the years have been mostly to schools at various levels.

elmer, who are you talking to, "if you don't get that"? HA! You make me laugh. Assuming someone would disagree? I think we all agree with that thought.

rob, in that most all of the orgs I feel that way about seem to get lots of money, you tell me.

For anyone seeking a organization that does good work but looks to be in need of money, here's a story to consider. What a ridiculous situation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/20/us/texas-medicaid-cut-planned-parenthood-funding.html?_r=0

Our gift-giving this year, as in previous years, was to the local SPCA and to a volunteer-run animal shelter where we got our second dog a few years ago. Since we have to take required annual distributions from our IRAs, we take advantage of the charitable deduction on our taxes each year which in the end allows us to contribute a little more money to each. Additionally, we contribute to local food banks throughout the year.

Hon, I just found it funny because you were ready to defend yourself. We agree. No need to fight.

I donate throughout the year to 2 local charities. One sends ready to eat food home in the backpacks of food insecure children, the other is our local food bank. After seeing the video below, I try to always give cash instead of canned food during canned food drives for the food bank.

Local shelter for abused women ... for which building program my daughter helped raise money several years ago.

Several agencies which help the disadvantaged, homeless. etc., locally, including Food Bank and Salvation Army, which provides services in distant places in Canada and internationally, as well.

Agencies which work for national and international relief, medical, justice and various human rights issues, including Amnesty, Doctors Without Borders, CUSO (Canadian University Service Overseas), which began as an agency supporting univ. under/grads. doing educational, relief and justice issues abroad, mainly Africa, and which recently gets other, mainly gov't., support to multiply my contribution by about nine, as is true of Farm Radio International, working almost entirely in Africa.

Mainly the gov't. support multiplies my one buck contribution to the Canadian Food Grins (keyboard error: that's "Grains") Bank to four, to further their service providing food aid in many countries. Some, mainly rural, congregations provide the production from one or a few acres of land to them each year: the local church which my grandfather attended prior to moving away in 1910 is one, which has a sign beside a local road indicating that service.

The seminary and university from which I graduated, and some local libraries.

For the non-church ones, I used to write a cheque to them individually, but in recent years have transferred some stocks which have appreciated in value to the local United Way, which transmits funds as I designate (for a modest fee: $12.00 each, in addition to the contribution to them) which allows me to avoid paying income tax on the capital gain. When one makes substantial levels of contribution, that tax saving can be substantial, making major reductions in income tax liability.

Churches with current or earlier connection, and our national church's
relief, development, justice, human rights and other services.

These have been made, thus far, with tax-deductible contributions, but not part of the avoidance of capital gain tax regimen.

It was experience and training gained there that had a great deal to do with the spirit behind supporting the other justice and humanitarian systems.

ole joyfuelled

I donate through payroll deductions at work to an organization chosen by them that helps various other smaller local charities that deal with people in need. Other than that, my contributions are probably seen as minimal. I'll put my spare change in the red kettle. All but one of my dogs came from the side of the highway. I pay to spay/neuter and vaccinate the feral cats that hang around my office. I buy crap I don't want or need from kids trying to raise money for their mission trip or school trip or whatever. I donate clothes,books, and whatever other useful things to places that ask for it. I tip WAAAAY too much when I get takeout (usually $10),even if the person I deal with is a putz,because being a server is hard and pays peanuts, and it might change their attitude for that day. I'm on amazon smile,and my charity of choice is hotel pitbull. I donate some of the scented wax cubes that i make to some churches who make little gift baskets for their raffles. But rarely will I hand over a check to a charity. All too often such an act of kindness will backfire into a neverending deluge of solicitations for donations from not only the place you donated too,but others they have shared your info with.