The tsunamis have made our regular charitable giving that much more urgent. Like Lilliputian Lillith, I want to give to a reputable organization that gets as much of my donation on the ground as possible. To that end, Charity Navigator, itself a charitable organization, is an invaluable resource, a sort of consumer reports for public charities.
Here are the organizations to which we'll be donating at this year-end:
- Save the Children: "Save the Children fights for children's rights. We deliver immediate and lasting improvements to children's lives worldwide." I've never donated to this group before; this is where our extra tsunami-relief donations will go.
- Children's Healthcare Is a Legal Duty: "Children's Healthcare Is a Legal Duty (CHILD, Inc.) is a nonprofit national membership organization established in 1983 to protect children from abusive religious and cultural practices, especially religion-based medical neglect. CHILD opposes religious exemptions from duties of care for children. CHILD is a member of the National Child Abuse Coalition." As someone raised in a Christian Science home, I know firsthand the damage that religious exemptions can do to families (children and parents). I've met the people who founded this organization; their caring, selfless dedication to children has earned my utmost respect.
- The Smile Train: "Provides cleft lip and palate surgery for poor children around the world. 100% of donations go towards programs." This organization views cleft palate as a problem that can be eradicated. We know the cure--the difficulty is getting the cure to the patients. The Smile Train not only funds these operations, it also trains local doctors to perform them.
- The Salvation Army: "The Salvation Army is a truly international movement, sharing in the mission of Christ for the salvation and transformation of the world. Its members are at worship and at work in over a hundred countries." The Salvation Army is Christian in action as well as in words, providing compassionate, practical help for people in need. I learned more about this organization while searching for my birthfamily and haven't walked past a bellringer since without dropping something in the kettle.
- Unitarian Universalist Service Committee: "Grounded in Unitarian Universalist principles that affirm the worth, dignity and human rights of every person, and the interdependence of all life, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee is a voluntary, nonsectarian organization working to advance justice throughout the world." One of the reasons I'm UU is the church's emphasis on living your values, so naturally I support this organization through which I can help do just that.
Every time we give to charity, which we do throughout the year (though every year-end we make a special point to contribute), I'm simultaneously comforted, depressed, grateful, and challenged. Comforted to know that so many organizations are doing good work. Depressed that so much needs to be done. Grateful to be in a position to give. Challenged--I know I could be doing more on a local/action level as well as a global/checkbook level.
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