Charities wasting money...

Well, I've always thought I was a pretty awesome guy. I think I'm fun, smart, and fairly attractive. I think people are lucky to know me and have me in their lives.

Why not start the charity of me?

I mean, why not? People should pay me just to be alive because I'm an awesome and amazing person who makes the world better for being in it.

I've thought about opening up a Kickstarter.

$5 donation: I'll send you a post card with a cool picture of me doing something cool

$20 donation: I'll send you a CD of my 'experimental' music I've made. I can't promise it's good, but it's original

$50 donation: I'll send you a "MM is awesome, and I'm awesome for admitting he's awesome" t-shirt

$100 donation: I'll call you up and talk to you for 2 minutes, tell you that you're awesome, amazing, and can be as awesome as me someday

$300 donation: I'll share some secrets of the universe that are probably worthless, but that's up to you to decide. The only way to find out is to donate $300

$500 donation: I'll make a video for you, by carrying around a gopro all day. I'll talk to the gopro as if you're hanging out with me.

$1000 or more: You'll get everything else, and also a mention in my probably-never-to-get-published book.

I mean, if you can't or won't live your life to its fullest, why not pay me to do it for you? I'll go on the adventures and do all the risky and stupid/fun stuff you're to busy or afraid to.

Why not live vicariously through me and my total awesomeness? I already bought a crown, now I just need subjects to pay tribute anyway!

I worked for the USO here many years ago. They were funded by the United Way. The local USO told me to pad alot to the number of military that we serviced. She was making a killing in her administrative position. I quit. She is still to this day head of the USO in Atlanta.

In my children's private school in Minnesota I was acquainted with a family with lots of children, mom was stay at home parent with a nanny and they had a mansion-huge-at least 20k square feet. I asked a mutual friend what her husband did for a living; you would have thought he worked for the CIA; no one ever discussed him. I was told he was head of the kidney foundation. Wow-did that make him wealthy but he was quite the unfriendly snob type; he did not mingle with us peons. I was disgusted. My mother had kidney disease and and has donated often.

I never donate unless it is directly to a food bank or by volunteering.

a reply to: grainofsand

I had this similar conversation with my Mother last month, a random charity had sent some easter cards to be used along with some fairly decent coasters (the ones you put your mugs of tea/coffee on).

I was saying to her imagine the money they must spend on advertising and these pointless things they send out to people when it could be better spent on the cause they're supposed to be representing.

Sometimes I get the odd phonecall as well appealing for money saying how desperate they are and I always think to myself, you're probably paying this paying a salary for phoning me, not to mention the cost of all the phonecalls, yet you're desperate for more money ? Why don't you cut back on spamming people with your message and use that money for the charity ?

It just seems like an awful waste of money when there's much more cheaper methods to get your message across

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
Dude, non profits (charities) are huge money-makers. I know, they're "non-profit" -- which only means they pay themselves and their staff, and put the rest back into the charity.

Still, they pay good salaries to their employees. They throw awesome parties. They get tax benefits, discounts on things.

If I had a good enough idea, I'd totally open one.

originally posted by: nonspecific]Count me in.

How much do you think I can earn as an employee?

Probably more than you get from 'mates rates' as your recent thread described lol


On that note, I wonder how much 'charity' we all carry out in our professional lives?
Personally, if I'm dealing with a piss poor old person I always quote much lower than I do for the guy with a BMW in the drive. There is an element of 'what I think they may think is reasonable' of course, but for obviously poor old people needing something maintained in their property I quote low, minimum wage at times if I'm feeling rich and can cover it.

I suggested to a guy I know (who is employed by a local charity doing 'odd jobs' at cheap rates for poor/old/disabled/vulnerable folk) that it could be a good idea if people like myself and other mates with trades volunteered a few hours a week to the charity. He disagreed saying it would put him out of work. I was disappointed, but tragically I could see his personal perspective.

a reply to: grainofsand

Yes, it is wasteful, in this instance (meaning, what they've sent to you) - as well as to others who aren't sending more money in response to snail mail (and who wouldn't have otherwise responded to email or other less-costly/free measures) and I totally get what you're saying, but, they're concerning themselves with the big picture, not whether each person on their mailing list is a "good investment."

BUT - hopefully they have someone analyzing the data and finding that they are coming out signficantly ahead and thus able to perform more worthwile charitable work which they otherwise would not have been able to without the snail-mailed solicitations.

By "opting out", you've helped the charity again, of course, by not continuing to spend money mailing to you, when you no longer wish to donate (or if you do, you know where to find 'em.)

The concept of "charities" has been corrupted. The original purpose is to help a cause. But what we have are non-profit corporations that claim they will help a cause. "Non-profit" only means they don't have shareholders and investors that receive a profit from their investment. The workers and management can still get large salaries and have lucrative expense accounts.

As a result, some charity's pay their management teams more than major politicians make per year. And wealthy people basically set up charities and non-profit foundations as tax shelters. They can even use their expense accounts and company travel costs to replace their normal living & travel expenses (while funneling funds to family members by hiring them to lucrative positions within that charity).

So if you really want to donate to "charity", give to actual people who are in need. That can be a family member, friend, neighbor, coworker, or even a random person you meet on the street. But giving to an organization is simply trusting that they will use that money towards your intended cause better than you would have.

(note: Many charities take advantage of price-matching programs and different grant/aid programs. So they can get things at cheaper prices and/or may qualify for grants from other charities. Each charity is different so I'd just advise you to research specific ones you hope to donate to.)

a reply to: grainofsand

Wasting money? that's generous.

A local charity once helped me so I returned the favor by volunteering. They took donations and sold them for a fee. A free cupboard? clean it and slap a 30 buck price tag on it. A free set of cutlery? clean them up and slap a price tag on them. A Harry Potter book? in the bin. When I had to throw out books that was the beginning of the end of my service. Yes these folk helped people but after all the donations and volunteer work they still wanted more.

I don't blame the grunts, I blame some of the vile head honchos of these charities that are content to sit in their mansions and convince their minions that one more dollar isn't enough. I have seen the good side of charity and I've seen the bad side and we need to start looking towards to bad side because TPTB spoil themselves while the lower levels of charities have to fend for themselves.

I wonder if any charitable organizations are in the Panama Papers..

a reply to: dogstar23
a reply to: enlightenedservant

Both excellent points
I am thinking I'm done with donating cash to any 'charity' now though.
How a chief exec of a charity can earn more than the UK Prime Minister is beyond me.
I get expenses for sure, but massive corporate style salaries, I guess I'm just old-fashioned.

originally posted by: Thecakeisalie
a reply to: grainofsand

I wonder if any charitable organizations are in the Panama Papers..

That really would be a smoking gun!
Interesting thoughts

a reply to: MystikMushroom

$5 donation: I'll send you a post card with a cool picture of me doing something cool

I've donated to ATS-can I get an explicit photo? I promise I won't leak it to TMZ.

This is why I like to donate durable goods or volunteer occasionally and work with local charities. It's easier to keep tabs on what is going where and how that way.

originally posted by: ketsuko
This is why I like to donate durable goods or volunteer occasionally and work with local charities. It's easier to keep tabs on what is going where and how that way.

Your route seems to be the way forward

You definitely have to know about the charity you donate too. Here in Michigan with the Flint water BS, I heard recently charities set up as far away as Texas collecting monies for Flint. The MI atty general pretty much told them it better not be a scam.

But I will say this. I was dating a great girl for years a few years ago. She was president and CEO of a non profit. St. Vincents Catholic Charities and St. Vincents home for children. I was actually shocked there is an orphanage near me. but anyways...

She made like 150k a year. She told me how she got the job. She went for the interview in an old decrepit building. Told them give her the job and she will build a new building. She got the job, raised 14 million bucks and built a new facility.

So I think paying a good CEO is worth the money. She was smart as hell.

Even some "charity events" you have to be wary of. Her and I were having drinks at a local bar and the owner approached her, wanting to hold a Texas hold em event for her charity. She had to front a bunch of money for some things for a portion of the proceeds.

She declined and explained to me that he was just looking to make a profit and give her a small slice. Profit is good and all but using the name of the charity not so good.