I have pretty much given up on charitable giving. This is ironic, since I work for the fundraising division of a not-for-profit enterprise. Oh, I still give away a few bucks here and there. I give to my employer, of course, just to be nice. I don't give much; I figure I've given the last quarter-century of my working life to them, which should count for something.
I used to give to every charity that sent me a note: illnesses, injuries, religious groups. Some of them fill their appeal envelopes with the most ridiculous chotchkes. Partner gets stuff from an organization callled Saint Joseph's School, a religious school for Native Americans, and they're always sending him dreamcatchers and such. A few years ago, however, they stupidly sent their yearly financial statement, which revealed that they were spending an unconscionable amount of money on, you guessed it, overhead like fundraising and administration. All those little gifts from sympathetic people around the country weren't going to the children after all; they were going to purchase Chinese-manufactured dreamcatchers, to send to people all over the country and make them feel guilty.
Even some of my favorites have gone by the wayside. I have given up the Smithsonian, and the Planetary Fund. I still give my alma mater Gonzaga University a few bucks a year, because I was a scholarship student there – back when tuition was less than five thou a year – and I can only imagine what modern students (and parents) are paying now.
But I still renew my yearly membership in the Arbor Day Foundation.
I believe in trees. I believe in growth, and renewal. I believe that, no matter what happens to the human race, there will still be trees around to witness what happens next.
Take a look at their website, please. And remember what trees do for you. And give some small money to them.
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