afternoon all,
just as a topic of interest, the idea of philanthropy is taught by most books and gurus on the subject of wealth creation. I was wondering what causes, charities etc members of this forum support or donate to. Or perhaps what they causes they believe in furthering?
e x
Hey emc,
My list is long…….but predominantly I work voluntarily in a women’s refuge because I feel strongly about the prevention of domestic violence against women.
Aside from that, I am probably like most people, in that I believe in and try to support/donate to most worthy charities such Red Cross, Children’s Hospital Appeals, Worldvision, Cancer Council Research etc etc etc.
Cheers,
Jo
if you do not believe in philanthropy, all you want to do is keep making money and more money and more money – it becomes greed and you never become satisfied with what you have.
Jesus Christ said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto yo” but even if you don’t beleive in Christianity, this is a basic principle to be able to live in society.
You need to put yourself in the shoes of the less fortunate in order to be grateful of the gifts and blessings that come your way. Life and breath is a gift – imagine those that are in an incubator.
Money is not everything and you need to experience this by giving it away…
kind regards,
George.I’ve found a way to help you save and earn whilst not selling or delivering any product. If interested, drop me an email or PM me to find out how
hi george,
sorry if it came across as if i were criticising the concept, i personally donate to childrens trusts for abuse and support the red cross when i can (does blood donation count?).
I was just interested in seeing what causes the other forum members supported.
And i agree:Money is not everything and you need to experience this by giving it away…cheers e x
good question emac
world vision – 2 kids. and pretty much whoever approaches me on the street or knocks on the door or asks at a intersection i give a few bucks. i should give more money to help with the homeless….i will..
Regular donations to Cancer Council Reasearch, Children’s hospital, WSPA, RSPCA, Greenpeace.
But also, like Aussierogue, I give to street appeals and whenever charities knock on my door.Celivia
Pelican is assisting financially with a family who has a son who is a quadriplegic. His medical bills are huge, and the family struggles….
He is getting some movement back in his arms, and, with the help of highly concentrated (enriched ??) oxygen there is some hope in his life….. $3000 was needed for the equipment, so, we paid for it…..
Next year, we plan to also look for a charity to support for the year.. I guess the thing that is hardest, is, which one makes the biggest difference ? The Salvos ?? Child Welfare ??
Property has made the pelican’s a lot better off. BUT, we have always wanted to help others…. now we are in a better position to do so, and really make a difference…..
Rogue,
Please don’t take this the wrong way, as, I was just wondering……
How much of your $1.00 actually makes it to the child ( Worldvision ) ??? I had heard a few things about that before, but would like to help……..
I’d like to contribute to childrens causes……
Pelican,
The Smith Family have a good program for children in Australia. Families are supported with money for schooling – uniforms, books etc. We get feedback on the kids we support. Of course, it’s first names only so they could be imaginary kids?pelican – i have no idea how much of my money makes it to the child. i know this is an issue being talked about by various charities etc etc. i just have to have faith that these so called reputable organisations are doing there best to limit there adminsitrative expenditure and giving most to the cause they are pushing.
its an interesting topic but the truth is i dont have a problem with charity organisations that are a little top heavy. ive seen things terribly wrong in organisations that dont have the right planning, infrastructure etc to handle tha massive amounts of resourses they get allocated. world vision is a big name and im trusting that there is a certain amount of transperancy in what they do.
congratulations on your charitable efforts sofar.
btw my wife has in the past volunteered her time to children with physical disablities (i forgot to mention b4) and found it very rewarding.
After working for 12 months for an organization that is run entirely by volunteers and gets money only from donations, I now don’t give money to anyone who is being paid to collect it. I give money to buskers and anyone else I walk past who asks for it, and to voluntary organisiations where no staff members are being paid and all the money is used to benefit those in need. I also still do voluntary work for a few hours a week.
Regards
JudiAt first I wasn’t going to reply to this post as it was a bit confronting, we noramlly give our bit on the quiet and that’s that, but then I re-thought it and decided that it is good that all aspects of finances should be discussed, often the “not discussed” or taboo items can be our downfall. I guess I also think that for the income we receive we really don’t give enough back at this stage, however we are still setting up our portfolio and I am confident that once we have attained the goals we are chasing that we will then be in a better position to give more.
I must admit I avoid the door knockers, the phone ringers and the tin shakers. I prefer to be able to give a larger amount to a couple of charities rather than small amounts to lots. Plus I like to have privacy in my own home without the intrusion of door knockers and phone ringers. Anyway, that’s just my preference of how we like to do it.
As for who I donate to, well, we donate to PMH (Princess Margaret Children’s Hospital), Heartkids (WA) Inc and The Smith Family (Depreciator, I don’t believe they are imaginory kids, we’ve a a couple of letters from one that we sponsor and I also know someone that receives from them) . And I give blood to.
That’s the thing I think, so often when we talk about Philantrophy, we altomaticlaly think money. Money isn’t everything, I know people without spare cash that donate much in time to various good causes and this is probably more important than money.
At present the roadio station 94.5 in WA are running a “local Heroes” competition and each one nominated wins something from a local buisness such as a dinner or a day spa or whatever. They will also be listed on a wall of fame (in one of the local shires but I can’t remember where). Anyway, some of the things these people have done to help is just amazing and very rarely is it actaully about money. Well, just wanted to mention that as although charities do need money, they also needs lots other things too, such as time. So if anyone else out there feels despondent that they haven’t spare cash to donate, then do look beyond money at what else can be done.
Regards
PKRogue,
Thanks….. I know it’s a topic that is discussed at length, and, your right…. I should have faith……
Being able to wake up each morning knowing that I am helping others with our actions is quite rewarding…..
RE Investing has not been about millions in the bank to me…. It’s been about the freedom to do better, for myself of course, but for others as well….
Hi All,
I think Bart Simpson put it most eloquently when he said “Share the wealth”[biggrin] although I think Bart might have had something else in mind.
I really do believe in supporting worthwhile causes. In my case, I contribute to a broad range of charities, and every time I write a cheque I feel that perhaps in some very small way I may make a difference.
Main charities — 2 children via World Vision, 1 child via Unicef; Lost Dogs Home, RSPCA, World Society for the Protection of Animals; World Wildlife Fund; Smith Family, Scope, St Vincent de Paul, Salvation Army; Guide Dogs for the Blind, MS Society — and others (too numerous to mention).
Regards,
Helen[cap]Just a thought….
I know a couple of people who don’t give to the World Visions etc due to the fact that some of the money is used for admin. In the end they give a couple of bucks to door knockers, but really don’t give much else.
‘Giving’ was explained to me this way: When you give it is a redemptive act. Your motivation comes from the fact that you are sharing your success to those who are less fortunate (never know if it could be you one day). Once you start getting caught up in the ‘where’s my money going senario’ you tend to lose focus of ‘why’ and start to think your getting ripped of and then associate negative thoughts and feelings with the act of giving.And we all know what happens then!To be able to give from our increase is a wonderful and blessed gift WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN.
Pelican and Aussie,
I agree with Judi. Rosie – I also understand where your coming from.
World Vision gives 70% of its takings to charity. Other organisations give less. Personally, and it’s just my opinion (although differeing from WallFlower) is that I don’t like to give to these multi-million dollar charities where 30% (and that’s huge) of the takings go to admin and salaries.
I like to donate to African countries who are ina state of 3rd world. Look at Sudan for instance – 1 million ppl going to die because of malnutrition.
The difference is that I can either give it to World Vision who will end up giving 70% to Sudanese ppl or I can just give 100% to the Sudanese ppl – see the difference.
I’ve found a way to help you save and earn whilst not selling or delivering any product. If interested, drop me an email or PM me to find out how
I currently only provide support for 2 charities, Worldvision and Angel Flight.
Wallflower,
Agree with your comments about getting stuck on the “how much really goes to…” comment…..
BUT, as Geo mentioned, my intent is to ensure that the maximum amount goes to the people who really need it…..
There are many charities out there, who through sponsorships / donations, made themselves self sufficient as far as costs go…….
My spin on this issue is to make sure My dollars help as much as they can….. not just 70%…..
At the end of the day, the fact that it seems we are all giving, to whoever it may be, is fantastic, and, as a “group” we are truely making a difference….
Now only if we could have convinced George & Johnny Dubya not to spend all those billions on Contolling Middle east oil…… OOOPS I mean er… Freeing the Iraqis……
Just think what COULD have been achieved with all that money wasted on a few peoples grudges…..
World hunger could have been close to solved…… but nope….. that would make too much sense…… [angry2]
I give to IFAW and WWF, I have been a voluntary guide at Healesville Sanctuary, and am currently a member of Knox Community Volunteers.
I aslo give to the Salvos, donate regular items to my local op shop (ie bed and exercise bike recently).
I also give to the people that come to my door and beggars in the street, as well as lending a few bucks to family and friends now and then (not expecting it back)
” Give and you shall receive”
Trisha[biggrin]
It is a nice feeling to be able to help someone who genuinely needs help.
I dont like phone soliciting for donations as i dont believe much gets to where it is needed.
I also dont usually have much in my pocket to give what feels to me to be a usefull amount so I decided to be a bit more creative over the last couple of years.
We have a house we rent out as short term holiday accommodation so what I do is make up gift vouchers for say a two day stay and donate these to any worthwhile organization. Most recently the Variety Club whos money goes to childrens funds and I think most of it gets there.They auction the vouchers hopefully for more than I would normally charge and donate the money.This way they just raised $650 where if they had knocked on my door I may have only given them $10 or $20
Of course I may miss a booking but Ive made these vouchers for off peak times and if I can con my mum into doing the cleaning so I dont have to pay the cleaners then it wont cost me much and indirectly we have donated a lot more.
I reckon there would be a lot more forum contributors who could do similar and see money going where it really should.
Be creative .
Cheers,
Greg
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