Taking Responsibility For "Giving Well"- a response-
Late last year in December, the New York Times ran an opinion piece about the best way to choose where to make your charitable giving, and I found it quite disturbing. (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/15/opinion/holiday-giving-givewell.html) You see, the piece was supposed to be about how to know if your gift to a charity was used well. But it turned out to be an ad for a company that verifies charities and regrants your donation to the charities in its database. That was disturbing enough, but the charities were all international to worsen it. The assumption seemed to be that local charities are not a good investment.
I am not opposed to supporting international causes. For example, I support a village in Kenya. But I make sure that most of what I give goes to local charities.
Why. Because they make my immediate world better, local nonprofits support the children, families, and adults where I live. They protect the local parks and the green spaces. They are caring for "my local " world. So shouldn't that be our priority?
As for knowing how your money is spent, you can put a little time into learning about them. Every charity is supposed to publish their IRS990, financials and most publish an Annual Report. If they don't well, that tells you something right there. I realize that it is easier to follow the writer's advice and outsource your responsibility, and support charities far from home.
I hope donors will consider their responsibility to their neighbors and your local community. Check out your local community foundation if you really just want to make a gift and walk away. But giving local is the thoughtful thing to do.
