Do you donate to charity/nonprofits?

[nonprofitguy]

The reason I ask is because my company has been doing some work to identify exactly what businesses expect from nonprofit organizations that they partner with. Do businesses want recognition, marketing opportunity, do they even care?

I'm reaching out to all of you today to ask that very same question. What do you think? We would love to communicate with you on this thread or have you fill out our two minute, completely anonymous survey linked below.

Thanks a ton in advance. By filling out the survey or responding to this question, you will be helping to educate nonprofits on what is expected of them when businesses are considering making a donation.

Business-Nonprofit Relationship Survey (http://bit.ly/1dJNjFd)

[vangogh]

I filled out the very simple survey of three questions that took about 10 seconds to answer for anyone wondering what's on the other side of the survey link.

I give to charity personally, but not as part of my business, though as a sole proprietor, the distinction is irrelevant.

The word non-profit carries a bitter taste for me. My experience with non-profits has been they expected me to work for free just because they mention the word non-profit. Most of the non-profits I've encountered though have had far more money than me to spend. Once upon a time it might have been a positive word, but no longer. Now all it means to me is a company that filled out the paper work to no longer be required to pay taxes.

I realize that's harsh so let me share an experience where I donated some money. Oddly enough it was in the last hour. I donated money to help people in Nepal after the earthquakes they recently had. I donated not because anyone contacted me and asked me to donate. I donated because of a photography podcast I listen to, Tips from the Top Floor. Chris (the person behind the site) offers a photography package where people come with him to explore Nepal and hike Everest while they take pictures.

When I heard about the earthquake my first thought was for the people of Nepal. A quick second thought was of Chris and the times I've heard him talking about the area. Not long after he posted that he'd set up something to collect money for the people of Nepal. He's offering an ebook of photos he's taken of the area and giving 100% of the money to a local organization and I think a few families he knows from having been there. How much you want to give for the ebook is up to you.

It took me a few weeks to actually donate, though I've had a reminder to donate since I saw Chris' initial post.

So why did I donate through him as opposed to say the Red Cross.

1. Personal connection. I don't have a personal connection with anyone living in Nepal, but I did have one with the person collecting the money.
2. I believe the money will get to people who need it.
3. I don't believe that's necessarily true with a larger organization. In fact the money is probably going to the next need or to pay someone's salary.

Here's what Chris says on the page where he set up the fundraiser (https://shop.chrismarquardt.com/bookshop/product/people-of-the-himalayas/).

[quote]We will give 100% of the proceeds of this book to aid organizations that we trust.[quote]

I trust Chris having listened to his podcast for the last couple of years. I have no doubt the money will reach people in need. I don't feel the same way about large organizations who I find to be generally untrustworthy.

[nonprofitguy]

Thank you so much for your detailed response. We are going to note all of your concerns. Awesome feedback and thank you for taking the survey.

[turboguy]

I am the opposite of Van Gogh. I am not very charitable personally but my business does a few things for one organization that helps kids. Not so much donating money as providing some services to them when they have a project. We also let them use some of our land for a community garden. The stuff they grow goes to soup kitchens and needy families. We also kicked in 500 bucks to our city when they wanted new Christmas lights for the main street and donated a $ 4000.00 machine to the city as well. That doesn't quite qualify as a non profit however. We have also donated some services to a few Little Leagues.

I see a lot of non profits that spend almost all the money they take in on salaries for the employees of the charity and some that pay a huge commission to the phone people who call to talk you out of your money.

[Fulcrum]

Turboguy makes a good point when it comes to how the money is spent. It has been reported in my area that less than 10% of the funds raised from some large name cancer lotteries actually makes it to those who need it to fund research.

Personally, I keep most of my donations close to home and very quiet. In my opinion, donating is not a marketing strategy nor is it meant to keep businesses in the limelight.

[KristineS]

Our company doesn't do a lot of donating, at least not that I'm aware. The owners may do some donating personally that I don't know about.

I think the main thing that I find influences my decisions about donating is transparency. How is my money being used? I also tend to like more grassroots charities and not the big corporate charities. It always seems like we find out that the big megalith charities don't actually funnel much money to the cause they're supposed to support.

[nonprofitguy]

great feedback, thanks!

[billbenson]

I'm a sole proprietor like vangogh. I have donated in the past, but got so much propaganda mail and calls that I won't do it again, or if I do it will be anonymous. Beyond that, I support my wifes family who lives in a 3rd world country. Money goes straight to the horses mouth.

[M.Ehrmantraut]

I took the survey and submitted it - I don't donate to charities but that is just me, I've seen too much misuse of funds and have a family member who has operated several "charities" over the years, all for his personal profit and gambling addiction which is beyond sick. That being said, I'm not really in the position to donate at the moment but if I could, I would donate locally to people I know needed it and would use the funds to help their situation which in turn builds our community - I see people donate to charities across the globe when so many times help is needed right next door.

[MyITGuy]

As a company I donate time/services (and in some cases funds) to local charities I choose to work with (I.E. Sharing Centers, Food Banks, Pet Rescues and etc...). As an individual I donate to the annual food/toy drives at the end of year along with any other opportunities that present themselves throughout the year.

I usually avoid the larger organizations as I tend to find that most of the money goes to their operating costs/salaries...by working with local organizations I have more insight into how funds are used/spent. I usually favor charities that benefit kids/pets based on my own experiences when I was a kid, along with knowing that kids/pets don't have any control over the situations they find themselves in.

[vangogh]

I thought I'd add a few more things. Despite what I said above, I don't have a problem with not all of the money going directly to the people in need. I understand that people have to put in time and effort to run any organization (for-profit or non-profit) and those people deserve to be paid. Like any business there will be other costs associated and again I understand some of my money would go to pay for those things. I also realize that it's irrelevant whether the money I contribute goes to the current situation or the next situation. It's just cash flow.

Assuming I have the money, I'll contribute to organizations I believe are doing good work for things I also believe in. For example one large organizations I generally think does good work is the Red Cross. I'm sure they have issues and make mistakes, but overall I'm happy to contribute when I can. Maybe one specific disaster led me to contribute and my money ends up paying someone's salary or going to help people in the next disaster. I'm fine with that.

The reason I might feel negative is less to do with the general idea of non-profits and charitable organizations and more to do with the specific organizations involved. I think more companies are given non-profit status than deserve it. For me it's reached a point where the word non-profit doesn't mean anything. I don't automatically believe an organization has good intentions or will do good work just because they have non-profit status. The issue for me is mainly a lack of trust in organizations I don't know and because of how I think non-profit status has been abused, when someone tells me they're a non-profit I'm more likely to lose trust in them.

I have a rule for both for-profit and non-profit organization. If you approach me and ask me to give or buy, the answer is no. If you do work I believe in and I think you do it effectively or if you sell a product or service I want, I'll find you. I don't mean to suggest non-profits shouldn't do any marketing, but there's a point where it crosses into just another telemarketer interrupting me.

[Harold Mansfield]

I don't have any kind of organized giving schedule, and it's normally personal...not business.

I get a call or email a couple times a year from a local Vet group, Big Brothers, and Salvation Army and I contribute or donate when I can. I've mostly donated things like suits, coats, 2 computers and electronics that I don't use anymore. I like donating because I know it's stuff that people can use and I'm not just throwing stuff away just because I don't need or use it anymore.

We waste a lot of stuff. An old printer may be obsolete to us because we need something more advanced for business, but for a community or senior center it can serve a purpose for another few years. I've changed monitors at least 3 times in 5 years. Buying 3 at a time. Nothing is wrong with the old ones so why not donate them?

Other than that I just give cash. Not sure how much every year. I don't keep track or even use my donation receipts for my taxes.


Just an FYI, Women's and Family shelters can use your old cell phones as well as the Salvation Army. They help people who are trying to start over with everything from just being connected to family, to job hunting. Your old phone may get you $50 rebate on a new one if you're lucky (my last phone was worth $8). But for someone who has nothing or is starting over it's an invaluable lifeline.

[CardSSmile]

My bussines and rules are little bit different than yours probably, but Im planning to give to charity around 10% of my income.

[billbenson]

Here's a charity I would donate to :The Milagro Foundation (http://milagrofoundation.org)

It's a poor children's fund founded by Carlos Santana. I personally believe he has no monetary interest in it. He doesn't need the money and is a good hearted person. It suffers from the overhead issues that have been mentioned above, but its a good cause and one that I feel I could trust.

[nonprofitguy]

You guys have all been so awesome with your detailed responses. Thanks so much for helping to spark this conversation, you are providing a lot of really interesting feedback.