Charity Rant

I am bombarded during the Christmas Season with charitable demands, they come via the post and email and there is always the stands in every mall. I have the charities that I always give to and have done for years, these organisations are ones that I have done my research on and feel comfortable that the money I give is actually going to people in need. The issue I have with the Christmas demands is that many only give at this time of year and to me the need is year round. I would much rather know that people are being helped through out the year. There seems to be so many agencies around at Christmas, and to my way of seeing things a lot of families in need are given amble at this time, but are left without much after that. It seems to me that we - and charities- embrace the commercialism of the season, the need for excess. One present, that is not enough the tree has to be loaded. Now if we took all the money donated over the season and then broke it down and gave it over the year to those in need, I really feel it would do so much more good.
I am so concerned about where money to charities goes. My awareness and concerns where raised after Hurricane Katrina, billions of dollars were raised and given to organisations but still money was not made available to those in need. Where did it go, all that money. I found a site that showed the amount of money that was being paid to staff and C.E.O s and to advertising and incentives ect ect ect  and also to my shock I found that just because I donated money to a certain cause the charity did not have to give that money to that cause, they could use it as they wished. My biggest shock was that one of the major agencies at fault was one of the best known. But do not take my word for it, please do your own research.
There is so much need in this world and so many agencies that claim to give it, with all the money being donated yearly really there should not be any poverty. There are a lot of very rich people out there who are rich because of donations. Makes me both sad and extremely mad. My only solution is to be very careful with whom I give my money to. I check and re-check and then I hope that I am making a difference. Unfortunately charities are big business as are most medical fund raising groups. The bigger they get the more money needs to be raised just to keep the infrastructure going. I once read that out of every dollar raised 1 cent went to the cause, now how sad is that.
My bottom line with this rant is please if you donate, check out that your money is mainly going where you think it is; maximize your donation. I know that I did and so when I open my wallet it is doing the good I hoped it would.

Love and Light
Debra Rae