Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Arias

The Problem: Learning about opera

Who: Palm Beach Opera

Why are they special? Provide professional performances December through April and educational opportunities

Where: West Palm Beach, Florida

Started: 1961

What the top person makes: $175,000 (2010)

General site: Home

Charity Navigator report..

Link to help: Donate. Nothing happens when I click their "Click here to donate!" button.

Deductible? Yes


Image courtesy of Apple\'s Eyes Studio and does not represent the Palm Beach Opera's facility

Monday, May 30, 2011

Today we remember them

The Problem: Memorial Day

Who: National World War II Museum

Why are they special? The museum includes World War II re-enactors from both sides and a show in the canteen.

The United States lost between 405,339 to 416,800 men during World War II, making the conflict the deadliest in US history. This represents about 30% of US total military deaths. (The US was the 6th nation in this area during the conflict, following the Soviet Union, Germany, China, Japan and Yugoslavia. The Civil War is sometimes cited as the deadliest US war but for military deaths, the Union lost about 46,000 fewer men than in WW2.)

Since 1775, 1,343,812 members of the US military have died during war or deployment.

Today we remember them.

Where: New Orleans, Louisiana

Started: 2000

What the top person makes: $314,659 (2009)

General site: Home

Charity Navigator report.. Charity Navigator has determined you must opt out of this charity's giving your name and contact information to others (unclicking the box on the donation page).

Link to help: Give

Deductible? Does not state


Image courtesy of Tim Beach

Sunday, May 29, 2011

15 big guys ....

The Problem: Removing debris after the tornado devastated Joplin, Missouri

Who: Grace Metro Church

Why are they special? A couple was searching through the smashed apartment house of the husband's mother.

Unannounced, 15 large men from the Genesis Metro Church (333 miles away) showed up, asking if they could help. They moved some of the heaviest stuff like it was nothing.

This post is a thank you for that help.

Where: Frisco, Texas

Started: Unknown

What the top person makes: Unknown

General site: Home

Charity Navigator has not reported on this charity.

Link to help: Give

Deductible? Does not state


Image courtesy of anankkml

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Burial with military honors

The Problem: Burying veterans with military honors

Who: Honor guards at 146 national cemeteries in the US

Why are they special? At some national cemetery burials, taps is done by a recording. At others, a group of veteran volunteers provide military honors including a live performance of taps.

The difference for the family and mourners is huge.

Where: Nationwide

Started: Circa 1865

What the top person makes: N/A

General site: Military funeral honors

Charity Navigator: N/A

Link to help: The suggestion is to contact your nearest national cemetery and see if the honor guards need any help or donations.

Deductible? unknown

Friday, May 27, 2011

No money today -- just remembering

The Problem: Remembering the fallen

Who: All of us

Why are they special? Monday people in the US have a day to remember members of the armed forces who have died in service.

Where: Around the world

Started: 1776

What the top person makes: $225,180 (5 star general)

General site: Suggestions to observe Memorial Day

Charity Navigator: N/A

Link to help: Taps

Video about the Honor Guard

Deductible? N/A


Image courtesy of nuttakit

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Health Care in South Carolina

The Problem: People not insured for medical problems

Who: Welvista

Why are they special? Provides free prescription medicine and affordable pediatric dental services to low income South Carolinians.

Where: Columbia, South Carolina

Started: 1993

What the top person makes: $180,186 (2009)

General site: Home page

Charity Navigator report

Link to help: Donate

Deductible? Does not state


Image

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Looked like Hiroshima

The Problem: Joplin, Missouri, hit by a tornado. "It looked like Hiroshima," one observer said. "It made Tuscaloosa look like a garden party."

Who: Missouri Baptists Disaster Relief

Why are they special? They're in Joplin now helping out, according to Missouri's attorney general. Services include "food preparation, cleanup and recovery, repair and rebuild, communications, crisis counseling, water purification, and shower units".

Where: Jefferson City, Missouri

Started: Does not state

What the top person makes: Unknown

General site: Home page

Charity Navigator has not evaluated this charity.

Link to help: same as general link above

Deductible? Yes

Monday, May 23, 2011

Gleaning the fields

The Problem: Hungry people

Who: Society of St. Andrew

Why are they special? They gather produce left behind after harvest and deliver it to people in need

Where: Big Island, Virginia

Started: 1979

What the top person makes: $82,652 (2009)

General site: Home page

Charity Navigator report

Link to help: Donations

Deductible? Yes


Image courtesy of digitalart

Saturday, May 21, 2011

In honor of Armed Forces Day in the US

The Problem: Helping Air Force personnel

Who: Air Force Aid Society

Why are they special? Assists personnel in emergencies, on base and in meeting their educational goals

Where: Arlington, Virginia

Started: 1942

What the top person makes: $194,139 (2009)

General site: Home page

Charity Navigator report

Link to help: Donations

Deductible? Presumably but does not state


Image courtesy of Tim Beach

Thursday, May 19, 2011

The Old Ways

The Problem: Living the traditional Navajo way

Who: Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program

Why are they special? Helps 400 Navajo (Dine') Elders. "The Program provides food, simple medicines, clothing, fabric and yarns to help these Elders live on the land in their traditional lifestyle."

Where: Park City, Utah

Started: late 1980s

What the top person makes: $59,500 (2009)

General site: Home page

Charity Navigator report

Link to help: Donations

Deductible? Presumably but does not state


Image courtesy of Boaz Yiftach

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

A mind is a terrible thing to waste.

The Problem: African American college education

Who: UNCF

Why are they special? Raises money for its 39 member colleges and 400 scholarship and internship programs

Where: Fairfax, Virginia

Started: 1944

What the top person makes: $557,451 (2009)

General site: Home page

Charity Navigator report. Charity Navigator reports this charity requires you to take the step of opting out of having your information shared. Sadly, not unusual for
charities.

Link to help: Donations. If you have web page skills, maybe you could offer to help them with their site.

Deductible? Yes


Image courtesy of Digital Photos

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Ideas on How to Choose

Raining today. So instead of profiling a charity, we're showing some advice from Charity Navigator:

20 top 10 lists

10 best practices of savvy donors. We don't agree with all this but it's worth looking at. They say the average charity CEO makes $150,000. Good to hear it. But that's surprising because the salaries we see are often twice that.

In Guide to Donating Noncash Items, Charity Navigator misses the central question--who will come and pick my stuff up? They move to the top of the list!


Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti

Monday, May 16, 2011

The Problem: Poorest communities

Who: Zakat Foundation of America

Why are they special? Responds to disaster needs while also fostering long term development. Zakat appears to be a Muslim concept of tithing but it only kicks in when a certain "minimum threshold" of wealth is achieved.

One of their goals is to minimize administrative costs by having a small administrative staff. The head guy makes $60,000--the smallest salary we've ever reported for a charity. That's showing you mean it in real time.

Where: Worth, Illinois

Started: 2001

What the top person makes: $60,000 (2009)

General site: Home page

Charity Navigator report

Link to help: Donations

Deductible? Yes


Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Free Music and More

The Problem: Free performing arts

Who: Stern Grove Festival Association

Why are they special? Presents annual admission-free performing arts festival in San Francisco (concerts for 10 consecutive Sundays at 2 pm). Next year will be the 75th year for the Festival. Said to be the nation's longest running free outdoor music fest.

Where: San Francisco

Started: 1938

What the top person makes: $168,000 (2009)

General site: Home page

Charity Navigator report

Link to help: Donations

Deductible? Does not state


Image courtesy of Pixomar

Saturday, May 14, 2011

A candle in the window

The Problem: Woman allegedly has a fight with boyfriend in Maryland at 2 am on March 4, 2002.

She reportedly walks out of his house and is never seen again. (Another site describes the man as an ex-boyfriend.)

Who: Let's Bring Them Home

Why are they special? They provide safety education for all ages (hoping to prevent disappearances) and resources for the families of those missing. Web site says the Discovery Channel has partnered with them.

Where: Bentonville, Arkansas

Started: States they've been doing this for 25 years

What the top person makes: Unknown

General site: Home page

Charity Navigator has not evaluated this organization.

Link to help: Donations

Deductible? Yes

King of the Forest

The Problem: By 1940 chestnut blight had nearly wiped out the American chestnut tree. The wood that built most of America's barns and homes east of the Mississippi for 3 centuries was virtually gone.

Today fewer than 100 large specimens survive in its native range.

Who: American Chestnut Foundation

Why are they special? Trying to bring a blight-resistant American chestnut back to its native range. They harvested blight-resistant nuts in 2005. Reforestation may begin in 2015.

Where: Asheville, North Carolina (Wouldn't Chestnut Grove in the same state be more appropriate?)

Started: 1983

What the top person makes: $120,000 (2010)

General site: Home page

Charity Navigator report

Link to help: Donations. You can become a member too but apparently not online. Maybe this charity will wake up one day. Mailing stuff in is so 80s.

Deductible? Yes

Thursday, May 12, 2011

You've heard of the Smithsonian but .....

The Problem: A museum of architecture

Who: National Building Museum

Why are they special? Examines "the world we create for ourselves".

Where: Washington, DC

Started: 1980

What the top person makes: $226,331 (2009)

General site: Home page

Charity Navigator's report. Charity Navigator warns you must opt out of this charity's sharing your email address.

Link to help: Donations

Deductible? Doesn't state

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

The people who make us laugh and cry

The Problem: Entertainment professionals who need help

Who: Actors Fund

Why are they special? Not everyone in entertainment makes the big bucks. For 129 years, Actors Fund has been providing "comprehensive social services, health services, supportive and affordable housing, employment and training services, and skilled nursing and assisted living care".

This can get very practical. There is a shoe fund (started in 1945) to help actors look properly shod at auditions. They assist with funerals and burials for those in need.

Where: New York City

Started: 1882

What the top person makes: $275,482 (2009)

General site: Home page

Charity Navigator's report. Charity Navigator warns if you don't want this charity sharing your email address, you must opt out.

Link to help: Donations

Deductible? Doesn't say


Image courtesy of Idea go

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Helping the disabled

The Problem: Intellectually and developmentally disabled people

Who: Best Buddies International

Why are they special? Tries to help with one-on-one relationships in all 50 states and 50 other countries. The Wikipedia article says they reached 700,000 people in 2009.

Where: Miami, Florida

Started: 1989

What the top person makes: $127,194 (2009)

General site: Home page

Charity Navigator's report. Charity Navigator warns you must opt out of this charity's sharing your email address.

Link to help: Donations

If you're a web designer, you might volunteer. They don't know it but they need web design help in a big way.

The about us section is done in a tiny, almost unreadable font size. The donation page is white text on a black background. One button near the bottom is partially obscured by another. The donation page doesn't mention whether they're tax deductible or not (they probably are in the US--why not say so?) Someone should tell them, too, that sharing email addresses without permission is, at best, not nice.

The founder, Andrew Kennedy Shriver (who takes a salary of $100,074 plus $117,478 from affiliates) is a nephew of the late president (born after his death). The web site uses all 3 names. I guess if I were related to a Kennedy, I'd flaunt it too. But since I'm not, the practice seems irritating.

Deductible? Doesn't say


Image courtesy of this site

Monday, May 9, 2011

When the mind needs help

The Problem: Mental illness

Who: American Psychiatric Foundation

Why are they special? Promotes public understanding of mental illness. Associated with the American Psychiatric Association.

Where: Arlington, Virginia

Started: Not stated. Does not have a Wikipedia article

What the top person makes: $174,974 (2009, funded by affiliates)

General site: Home page

Charity Navigator's report

Link to help: Donations

Deductible? Presumably but page does not say so



Image courtesy of Idea go

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mother's Day!

The Problem: Learning how to breastfeed

Who: La Leche International

Why are they special? Provides information and encouragement, usually individually--mother to mother. In 68 countries.

Where: Schaumburg, Illinois

Started: 1956

What the top person makes: $66,621 (2010)

General site: Home page

La Leche, ask yourself--can someone popping onto your web site find out quickly and easily precisely what you do? Or how "worldwide" you operate? We couldn't. Or maybe you could just provide a link to the Wikipedia article about you.

Charity Navigator's report. Charity Navigator warns you must affirmatively opt out of receiving emails from this charity once they have your address.

Link to help: Donations

Deductible? Yes


Image courtesy of Clare Bloomfield

Friday, May 6, 2011

Cancer Camping

The Problem: Children with cancer and other life threatening diseases

Who: Hole in the Wall Gang Fund

Why are they special? Founded by the late Paul Newman (how's that for special?) Provides a camp for these children and year-round support for their families.



AE Hotchner's book Paul and Me (2010) describes the conception and growth of the camp.

Where: New Haven, CT

Started: 1985

What the top person makes: $165,305 (2009)

General site: Home page

Charity Navigator's report

Link to help: Donations

Deductible? Yes

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

The Problem: Preserving and exhibiting Latino art

Who: National Museum of Mexican Art

Why are they special? Claims to be the only Latino museum accredited by the American Association of Museums. 15 of the exhibits have traveled to other museums in the US and Mexico. Also runs a radio station.

Where: Chicago

Started: 1982

What the top person makes: $162,500 (2009)

General site: Home page

Charity Navigator's report

Link to help: Donations

Deductible? Presumably but does not state

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Gorgeous lakes and trees

The Problem: Protecting the 6 million acres Adirondack Park in New York

Who: Adirondack Council

Why are they special? Works to protect and restore this vast park. Said to be the largest park in the contiguous United States.

Might be perceived as aggressive--they supported the statewide ban on lead sinkers which reportedly poison the common loon.

Sadly, you can't find out much about the park on the Council's web site.

And, guys, how about some pictures??? Plus an editor. Your home page says you're for working farms--your about us page says you want to prevent them.

Where: Elizabethtown, New York

Started: 1975

What the top person makes: $152,488 (2010)

General site: Home page

Charity Navigator's report

Link to help: Donations

Deductible? Unknown

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Affordable theater???

The Problem: Theater for people who can't afford the tickets

Who: Lincoln Center Theater

Why are they special? They give " thousands of free tickets each year to culturally under-served populations throughout the five boroughs" of New York City. Reportedly is the city's only Broadway-class theater outside of the theater district.

Where: New York City

Started: 1985

What the top person makes: $495,893 (2009)

General site: Home page

Charity Navigator's report

Link to help: Donations

Deductible? Presumably but page does not state

Monday, May 2, 2011

The children of Chernobyl

The Problem: Children affected by the radiation of the Chernobyl disaster

Who: Chabad's Children of Chernobyl

Why are they special? Has evacuated 93 planeloads of children to permanent residence in Israel. Provides medicine, equipment and training to assist local Chernobyl area physicians in dealing with radiation-induced illnesses

Where: New York City

Started: 1990

What the top person makes: Not stated

General site: Home page

Charity Navigator's report

Link to help: Donations

Deductible? Presumably but page does not state

Sunday, May 1, 2011

How can I tell what a charity does with my money?

The Problem: Who polices the charities?

Who: Charity Navigator

Why are they special? Reports on the finances of individual charities. Prospective donors can look up more than 5,500 organizations on their web site. They plan to move beyond finances to evaluate a charity's effectiveness and results later in 2011.

Where: Glen Rock, NJ

Started: 2002

General site: Home page

Charity Navigator doesn't evaluate itself. Click here for their unconvincing explanation of why not.

Link to help: Donations

Deductible? Presumably but page does not state