So Many…

Sep

charity

There are so many charities. There are so many people that are hurting and that are in need and it all requires money,change, cheese, dollaz, whatever you wanna call it. I could go down the list here, but I won’t. So, here’s the question- With so many organizations and charities, how do you decide who to give your money to?

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Coenraad says:

September 18, 2009 at 5:00 am

I would say, pray over it. Let the Lord send you in which ever way, and then go out and actually do it.

Living in South Africa, we have a lot of need and charities, and beggars and the like, and you will never be able to give to everybody. I have learned in the last couple of weeks to really trust the Lord to point out to me who I give to. As far as international charities go, I am being pulled in the direction of getting involved with charity:water.

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- alece says:
  
  September 18, 2009 at 9:43 pm
  
  where do you live in SA?
  
  our ministry is in Harrismith (halfway between Joburg and Durban) — http://www.ThriveAfrica.org — wondering if you're anywhere nearby…
  
  Reply
  - jackalopekid says:
    
    September 19, 2009 at 2:38 am
    
    I live in Atlanta, GA
    
    Reply
    - alece says:
      
      September 19, 2009 at 5:56 am
      
      i know YOU do! coenraad up there said he lives in south africa! so do i. well, normally. right now in atlanta…
      
      Reply
      - jackalopekid says:
        
        September 19, 2009 at 5:59 am
        
        oh wow. what r u doing here?
jackalopekid says:

September 18, 2009 at 5:04 am

awesome

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Lemmings says:

September 18, 2009 at 1:35 pm

I totally agree with Coenraad – pray, pray, pray…

Along with charity: water, I would add the usual suspects of Compassion International, World Vision, but also H2O Aftrica (h2oafrica.org), American Cancer Society – the list is exhausting…

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- jackalopekid says:
  
  September 18, 2009 at 7:21 pm
  
  good deal. yes there are so many good ones
  
  Reply
Courtney says:

September 18, 2009 at 1:48 pm

As a Christian, I believe you also have to think about whether or not your gifts are just doing good works or are they fulfilling a need & helping people come to know Jesus better. While I fully support the work of secular charities (and sometimes I give to them as there's no Christian organization filling the void that they are doing), I find a Christian organization that is helping people both physically and to know God is where I try to put my funding & energy.

From there, they are right – pray, pray, pray. God will move your heart for a specific area and then research to find out what Christian group is doing the most in that area and put your funds/time/energies there.

Also, remember that money is not the only thing these charities need but its the easiest thing for most people to give and is a still a need.

HTH.

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- jackalopekid says:
  
  September 18, 2009 at 7:22 pm
  
  good answer
  
  Reply
austinklee says:

September 18, 2009 at 6:23 pm

I work with the financial side of non-profit organizations everyday and I have a practical list of ways to select organizations:

1. Do your homework. Charity Navigator and Guidestar are great resources for information on the financial health of NPO's. Remember that some organizations are not "Christian" on purpose because of the greater amount of work they are able to accomplish without the negative connotation that some people have toward Christians.

2. Select categories. Choose one charity per category and give to each. The broad categories are: Place of Worship, Health/Social, Education, Cultural.

I give in this order: Buckhead Church, http://www.chooseaneed.org, Mars Hill College/Auburn University, Atlanta Opera

For those with larger pocketbooks I would encourage you to contact The National Christian Foundation. They assist in setting up donor advised funds and make sure that your funds go to great organizations. Another option is to contact Calvin Edwards and Company they provide gift planning, research, due dilligence, etc.

3. Get involved. The more you work with an NPO the more you will feel comfortable in giving them money. A good way to decide on an organization is to ask how you can volunteer with them.

4. Tell others. If you have found a great organization tell everyone you know, invite them to volunteer with you.

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- karenb says:
  
  September 18, 2009 at 7:32 pm
  
  Thanks for these tips! I'll definintely be checking out Charity Navigator and Guidestar.
  
  Reply
  - jackalopekid says:
    
    September 18, 2009 at 7:39 pm
    
    they do sound like awesome charities
    
    Reply
  - austinklee says:
    
    September 18, 2009 at 8:30 pm
    
    I expanded on this reply and included links to sites at my website: http://www.austinklee.com
    
    Reply
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    Reply
- qhrpgygc says:
  
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  Reply
jackalopekid says:

September 18, 2009 at 7:22 pm

great advice here. u know your stuff

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karenb says:

September 18, 2009 at 7:34 pm

It's so easy to get overwhelmed with all of the options… so much so that at times I end up not giving at all except to my local church. Good advice here though. Definitely going to be taking some of the advice.

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- jackalopekid says:
  
  September 18, 2009 at 7:40 pm
  
  yep. good stuff. great helps these people are
  
  Reply
karenbyrne (karenbyrne) says:

September 18, 2009 at 7:34 pm

RT @jackalopekid: New Post: So Many… http://jackalopekid.com/so-many

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Forward Momentum » Picking a Charity says:

September 18, 2009 at 8:02 pm

[...] of my Twitter contacts @jackalopekid posted this today about choosing between the thousands of charities for [...]

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@austinklee says:

September 18, 2009 at 8:08 pm

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@gidgey says:

September 18, 2009 at 9:41 pm

Our Friday Night Outreach.

We've been doing it every Friday since 2001.

Ministering to the physical and spiritual needs of those "transitionally homeless" people living in motels in Anaheim.

http://www.pardonedprodigals.com

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- jackalopekid says:
  
  September 19, 2009 at 2:39 am
  
  very cool
  
  Reply
Tweets that mention jackalopekid.com » Blog Archive » So Many… -- Topsy.com says:

September 18, 2009 at 9:51 pm

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by karenbyrne, Austin Lee and HurtingPeople. HurtingPeople said: So Many Charities. So Many Hurting People http://ow.ly/q266 @jackalopekid [...]

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GeeZees (Custom Canvas Art) says:

September 19, 2009 at 12:46 am

@jackalopekid RT http://jackalopekid.com/so-many GREAT POST

Reply
wildcat1998 says:

September 19, 2009 at 1:43 am

My first charity I gave to was the Boy Scouts of America. The reason I gave to them was that I once was a Girl Scout and I thought that the Boy Scouts had more fun. I was in my late teens. Now my reasons are more emotional. American Cancer Society and one or two other Cancer research because my Grandmother and sister died from Cancer, as well as my former Father in-law and my former Mother in-law will be joining our Lord in Heaven any day now. I give to the Heart Association because our family has high cholesterol and high blood pressure. I give to the American Lung because my son as asthma. So it's emotional for me.

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- jackalopekid says:
  
  September 19, 2009 at 2:39 am
  
  good reasons
  
  Reply
jasonthebaldguy says:

September 19, 2009 at 7:38 pm

I have tended help people that I meet during my daily life. I run into people every day that need help, need someone to care, to stop and take time with them… I believe that we should have a very direct impact on those around us… while there are so many different charities, these days it is best to be careful who you donate to… I would much quicker donate to individual missionaries that are in the trenches serving rather than a large charity full of individuals that may or may not have a vested interest in accomplishing the stated goals of the charity.
^ edit
I agree completely with austinklee above! great advice you got a thumbs up from me!

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- jackalopekid says:
  
  September 20, 2009 at 2:47 am
  
  yeah he had some great advice. very good advice from you as well. good to do some research I guess
  
  Reply
Laura says:

September 19, 2009 at 9:52 pm

i donate to the american cancer society by doing their signature event, relay for life. i started doing it through my school because of all the people i know who have cancer, and was inspired to do it by my friend paul, who was diagnosed with leukemia last year.

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- jackalopekid says:
  
  September 20, 2009 at 2:48 am
  
  oh wow. great cause and a great reason. thanks for commenting on the blog, Laura. Hope to see ya more on here.
  
  Reply
Zombie_Plan says:

September 21, 2009 at 4:26 am

All you can really do is look at what they do with the money and decide from there. Which cause does what you really believe needs to be done?
An example, is that until recently I've never actually donated money to a charity before, but when I had to decide who to help for my 10CentCharity project, I ended up deciding over Charity:Water and Blood:Water Mission. I ended up picking the latter because they both do similar work, but Blood:Water Mission's quest also focused on making people more aware of just how bad the AIDS crisis in Africa really is.

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- jackalopekid says:
  
  September 21, 2009 at 4:33 am
  
  good stuff man
  
  Reply
Marcus Williamson says:

October 4, 2009 at 4:29 am

Whatever truly tugs at your heart.

Reply
alece says:

September 19, 2009 at 6:02 am

been on the field eleven years. this past year has been devastating personally in a lot of ways, and i'm taking a year of "sabattical". living with friends in kennesaw at least until the end of the year. i'll be stateside till the fall of 2010; just not sure i'll be in ATL the whole time.

Reply
jackalopekid says:

September 19, 2009 at 6:04 am

wow. well good luck to ya

Reply

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I am husband to the amazing, @jasminerachel. I am a big-mountain climber who has a big dream of climbing the highest peaks on each continent. I love to play drums because it makes me feel inspired. I am a brand-builder of the jackalopekid. I am a mac user who will never look back. And most importantly, I follow the Creator. I do these things while blogging about it every step of the way. This is me.

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