Which charity to donate to?

[cattlekid]

So those of us who follow Dave Ramsey know that we should be tihing 10% to our church. DH and I are not churchgoers but are looking for a charity to support.  Of course, the first thing that came to mind is a charity that is focused on kidney issues/awareness/patient assistance or transplant advocacy. 

However, so many of these charities give me an icky feeling because they are linked in to the LDO's in some way, shape or form.  I do not want my money to go to assist an LDO unless it is for direct patient assistance (paying for insurance, etc.) 

Anyone have any experience with these charities?  One that you would recommend over another?

 

[MaryD]

The only place I donate to is Medicins sans Frontieres.  They get more than 10% of my income, but I'm gobsmacked at the places they go and the work they do.  Probably not much kidney work though.

[Chris]

What does LDO stand for? I have an idea what it is, just not the shorthand.

However, I am taking donations to help get ready foor my trip for a guide dog, or post transplant chocolate fix. :p

[cattlekid]

Large dialysis organization.  Aka davita and fmc.

What does LDO stand for? I have an idea what it is, just not the shorthand.

However, I am taking donations to help get ready foor my trip for a guide dog, or post transplant chocolate fix. :p

[lmunchkin]

Ahaha, another Dave Ramsey listener. He comes in where I work sometimes.  He is a down to earth guy with some common sense principles. 

I definately give to my church, but there are other good causes that we give to.  We have recently given to DAV (Disabled American Veterans).  But we give to Operation Blessing and our local Rescue Mission when we can! Definately donate to the American Diebetic Assoc.

But since J is no longer working, we cant give as much as we use to.

God Bless,
lmunchkin

[Chris]

Speaking of Vets, there are service dogs that are trained and given free to injured vets or ptss. The money goes straight to help provide housing for the vet while training, food for both human and dogs. Then there are vet organizations of various kinds that go directly towards vets, even care packages are still sent.
 
But maybe make a list of possible organizations to donate to that you have some sort of connection to and narrow it down by how much you care about the organization and how easy it was to research the organization  to see where your money goes.
 
This is my serious answer for now.

[lmunchkin]

Excellent advise Chris, definately research before donating!

[Desert Dancer]

Two of my favorites are Heifer International, which has a sustainable, community-wide pay-it-forward model:
http://heifer.org/

And Kiva, which is actually not charity but microlending to those who have no access to traditional credit. The loans get paid back and you can then roll them over into new loans:
http://www.kiva.org/

One of the best places to research a charity:
http://charitynavigator.org/

[okarol]

I have been a supporter for many years to the Renal Support Network, a non-profit run by a kidney patient. Lori Hartwell provides support and info for kidney patients and I have seen first hand how much good she does. I also volunteer for them and it's been a great experience. You can learn more at http://www.rsnhope.org

I also support the National Kidney Registry. They have been instrumental in making paired donation transplants happen on a national level. You can read about them at http://kidneyregistry.org

And, if you're so inclined, your could help our forum here on IHD by becoming a Premium Member, or even donating a small amount. It helps to cover our cost of software upgrades, hosting fees and troubleshooting when we have problems.

 

[rsudock]

What about the American Kidney Fund?

How are we all feeling about the National Kidney Foundation? (NKF)

xo,
R

[paris]

Some of us don't feel too good about the NKF.  Right now, the leadership isn't the best. They have pulled out of several states due to money issues.  N.C. is one of them.  We had our own Walk for several years. Now, there is no representative in our state.  My daughter was asked to be on the state board --- she was asked to give a $10,000 "donation" before they could give her a contract.  So, for us the main issues have to do with their use of money. 

Both my daughters work for non-profits.  Their advice is to find the ratio of where the money goes -- patient vs. office costs.   MDA has a higher percent going to running the organization than to the patients.  Some research on the internet will help know which agency handles the budget the best. 

A member here stated her own non-profit "Etta's Gift" to help with information, expenses with transplants.   Renal Support Network is great. IHD is always a good idea!! LOL 

Thanks for having a generous heart.      

[smcd23]

Some of us don't feel too good about the NKF.  Right now, the leadership isn't the best. They have pulled out of several states due to money issues.  N.C. is one of them.  We had our own Walk for several years. Now, there is no representative in our state.  My daughter was asked to be on the state board --- she was asked to give a $10,000 "donation" before they could give her a contract.  So, for us the main issues have to do with their use of money.   

I used to do the Kidney Walk for the NKF every year. I have since stopped. I feel like they are all show and no go. Through my job, I have the opportunity to contribute to hundreds of charities direct from my paycheck through the Combined Federal Campaign. We get a book that describes each charity and also what percentage of donations made to them go to "administrative" costs - salaries, overhead etc. In 2011, 27.2% of every dollar went toward those costs - that means more than 1/4 of your donation! Not to mention there is no direct benefit (to me at least) from the NKF.

The good news is the American Kidney Fund only has a 2.6% administrative cost. So that means $.97 of every dollar I donate goes to programs that actually help people. I know the AKF is currently paying for SO's Medicare Supplement, and they paid a years worth of back Medicare premiums so he could get on Part B before his COBRA started, and they had paid for his COBRA as well. They have helped us greatly, and I think I've seen others on here mention that they've received assistance from the AFK as well.

I have no idea if they give any money to the big companies, but it seems to me that they are more for helping patients than for profit facilities IMHO. But they get my $10/paycheck