Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: British, charity, fundraiser, Victim Support, volunteer, walking on fire
When I lived in Japan a few years ago I met a wonderful British girl who I still keep up with despite our great distance. Last month she sent out a mass email telling family and friends that she was participating in a fire walk for charity.
From anyone else I might have questioned it, but this sounded right up her alley. The cause she is supporting is a local British charity, Victim Support, a cause that she holds dear to her heart.
So of course I had to throw a few quid her way!
It is very encouraging to me that all around the world people are volunteering their time towards great causes, and moreover, that my friends are among them.
I can’t wait to see the pictures of her walking on fire, and I know that on all of them she will have a huge smile on her face. I’m not sure if, in the land of perpetual lawsuits, Americans would ever hold this type of fundraiser, but I thik it is a great and innovative way to get people interested in giving their time to raise money.
Cheers mate! I’ll be thinking of you.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: charity, Chile, choosing wisely, Forbes, fraud, Haiti, money, non-profit
Some days are busier than others.
When I started on this journey of giving, I knew that it would be difficult to physically volunteer everyday. Between work, volunteering, teaching yoga and my personal life I am pretty booked until, well, March 2011. So on the days that I cannot get out into the community I will donate a small sum of money to a nonprofit of my choosing.
Before I whipped out my credit card I did a little research online. I found a great article by Forbes on how to choose a charity wisely. They warned of fraudulent charities and those who might spend more on administrative work rather than their cause. Working with different non-profits over the years this wasn’t entirely new information, but I do feel saddened that it continues to be this way.
I clicked on a tab that said “most efficient large charities” and found one immediately that I liked. It is called “Heart to Heart” and they boast an impressive 98 % of money collected goes to the cause, only 2% towards the administrative side. Those are some impressive numbers! Right now they are focusing their efforts on the tragedies in Chile and Haiti, but they work all over the world, wherever there are people in need.
It pays to take some extra time for researching charities, I would be heartbroken knowing that my hard-earned dough had gone to a prankster rather than someone in need. I hope that more people will be inspired to donate money to a worthwhile cause, even if it is just a few bucks, the last few crumpled singles at the bottom of your purse that you are too embarrassed to take out. Someone out there wouldn’t be too embarrassed to accept them for a warm meal.
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