Hey Umbra,
With strict instructions from me, my parents decided to skip most of the presents this Christmas and give me the big-ticket item I had requested: money to give away. They've given me $1,000, far more than I expected, to donate to the charity of my choice. What environmental organizations would you recommend? (Other than Grist, of course!) Large groups like Greenpeace and the Sierra Club do wonderful work, but $1,000 is a drop in the bucket to them. How can I make this money go the farthest?
Emily
Ojai, Calif.
Dearest Emily,
Holy cow. Genius. Great idea, and good follow-through by parents. You reversed the normal eco-gift dilemma. Usually the eco-head risks ire for giving nothing or donating to charity (which I did this Christmas, to mixed results). Switcheroo. Didn't you have a charity in mind when you requested the money? Or perhaps you daredn't hope.
Pass the bucks.
Photo: iStockphoto
I don't have a specific charity to suggest (other than Grist, of course!), because that would be irresponsible of me. But I do have sundry comments and potentially helpful tips as per usual. Firstly, no decent nonprofit would sneer at your $1,000. Any nonprofit worth supporting will gratefully take your money, use it well, and respectfully court you as a lifelong funder who will potentially increase annual donations. If an organization raises operating funds from both individuals and grantors, they may additionally benefit from mid-smallish donors like yourself by demonstrating a diversity of stakeholder participation to funders.
Following on that thought, it wouldn't be necessarily bad to donate to a large org, which should have a good economy of scale if it's well run and also may have high effectiveness due to high profile and good reputation. That is to say, your money would go far despite being a "drop in the bucket."
Perhaps start your decision process by writing down the charities you are considering, and adding to that list with a little research. Ask friends and family if they have environmental organizations they respect, particularly local ones. To jog your memory for other orgs you've heard of but forgotten, think about the issues most important to you and search the internet; Wikipedia of course has a list of environmental organizations, as does Yahoo, and various green groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council keep good link lists.
Consider whether you are getting ready to make a long-term relationship with an organization. It will benefit them to know they have a new reliable donor, and it may benefit you in that you will feel involved and not have to go through this decision process each time you have money to spare. Visit the websites of organizations on your list and learn more about their projects, get a sense of how well organized and transparent they are, how they set and meet goals or measure their progress toward goals, whether they are effective. Call them and ask these questions if you feel bold enough, or at least get an annual report.
If you find an organization and are not sure of its legitimacy, you could check the National Association of State Charity Officials for links to IRS and state information on charitable orgs. An interesting and well traveled site is Charity Navigator, which evaluates the efficiency of nonprofits and has a lot of helpful, clear information about choosing where to spend your money. They have an "environment" section, in which you could search for previously unknown groups (this would probably also assuage any concerns about legitimacy). Charity Navigator does not evaluate program performance, but rather looks at tax return-based information as an indicator of organizational health and efficiency.
All that sounds like a lot of work, but it doesn't have to be. Here's what I'd suggest: If you have an organization in mind right now whose work you think you admire, just look over their website to get a more thorough idea of their structure and achievements. Check them out at Charity Navigator and if you like what you see, go ahead and donate. It doesn't have to be too complicated. And congratulations.
Financially,
Umbra
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Comments
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tonybogar Posted 3:24 am
14 Jan 2008
On a less self-centered note, think about your food bank. My wife and I also work with local farmers, and food and land use are big issues to us. Our gift to each other this year was a donation to our local food bank, which does a good job of using surplus food from local farmers. That, in turn, promotes local, small famers and their environmentally friendly practices.
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andrewbacon Posted 3:46 am
14 Jan 2008
On a side note, Umbra (or anyone else), do you know if there are laws requiring matching gifts to be real?
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inkedbuddha Posted 4:06 am
14 Jan 2008
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JeffB Posted 5:12 am
14 Jan 2008
My suggestion is maybe that you add to this generous gift by giving a gift yourself...that of your time. The best way to ensure that your charitable giving is used effectively is to become involved in the local chapter of social services or environmental organization. You'll have the chance to see how the financial contributions directly affect people and you'll perhaps have the opportunity to decide where the organization targets its resources. If you are like me, you won't have any regrets about the time you volunteer.
- Jeff
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inkedbuddha Posted 5:42 am
14 Jan 2008
"Engineers: Making things extra complicated for the greater good!"
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Steve Erickson Posted 6:13 am
14 Jan 2008
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Erik Hoffner Posted 7:11 am
14 Jan 2008
http://www.orionsociety.org/members
70% of these groups function on $499,000 or less...in fact, 20% of our non-profit members have annual budgets of under $25,000! So your donation to them would mean MUCH more than it would to a big group. And would translate into more change on the ground. The big groups have enormous overhead costs.
Have fun! A nice task to have.
Erik
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mduruss Posted 1:18 pm
14 Jan 2008
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fiatluxe Posted 1:17 am
15 Jan 2008
They have a rigorous vetting process, have all sorts of categories of projects, and though I've just posted my first donation there, it looks as though I'll receive ongoing updates as to the status of the project to which I donated. Also, a lot of the projects are quite modest in scale, though have the potential for real long-term benefits, which appeals to me.
Good luck!
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bpcaul Posted 1:24 am
15 Jan 2008
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evesegal Posted 2:06 am
15 Jan 2008
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nsudha Posted 7:53 am
15 Jan 2008
You can also check out http://www.newprogressivecoalition.com/
They have an energy and environment section and have a better assessment of organizations than the big, formulaic assessment of sites like charity navigator.
Giving politically is often something that environmental donors miss, but it is hugely important if we wish to build power for our issues.
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stopgreenpath Posted 11:04 am
16 Jan 2008
dennis kucinich is ridiculously ahead of all other candidates on environmental vision if you want to donate politically, and if i had $1,000, i would probably give at least part of it to those modest lending associations which help people in poor areas start small businesses, and part towards water sanitation in the third world. just my 2 cents.
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GonzoDon Posted 8:35 am
17 Jan 2008
The CBD won my enduring love when they uncovered and showed a spotlight on the damning evidence regarding Julie MacDonald and her sleazebag role at Department of Interior in undermining biologists and other scientists within F&WS who are trying to do the right thing. Dear Julie is now long-gone from DOI, after being forced to resign. (Probably basking on a beach somewhere, but at least not doing any more damage.)
CBD seems like a small group that accomplishes amazing things. If endangered species and their disappearing habitat happens to be a priority for you, this seems like a cost-effective group to support. (And, no, I am not affiliated with CBD in any way ... exept that I now donate to them regularly myself.)
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Wren Posted 5:19 pm
17 Jan 2008
http://www.peta.org/feat/greenwash/grades.html
Where they grade some eco groups based on their track record regarding animal testing (I used to donate to some of these groups, thinking, "they're helping animals as well as the environment," until I read these reports and discovered otherwise). NRDC gets an "F" (that's one of the ones I quit donating to). Meanwhile, Sierra Club got a B- and Greenpeace got a B+. World WILDLIFE Fund (emphasis mine) also gets an F. So... I don't know if this is a huge emphasis for you, but it is for me, so I thought I'd throw it out there.
Also, you could consider donating the money to more than one org (no one mentioned that yet, so I thought I would say that too).
Have fun, and vast quantities of kudos to your parents (and you, for coming up with the idea in the first place)!! : )
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2wheelsgood Posted 6:41 am
18 Jan 2008
River groups are the least well funded, and most rivers are quite far from meeting the elusive goals of the Clean Water Act. Unfortunately the answers don't depend on us pinning blame and accountability on "them". They require everyone in the community to take personal responsibility to make the changes in their own lives and landscapes to achieve and practice environmental sustainability. Because the actions are local, the results are immediate. Try it, you will see how effective your own "drop in a bucket" is. You will be hooked, and you will be plugged in making a difference-- not just supporting a lifetime of junk mail from some group trying to hit you up for more cashola.
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spaceshaper Posted 10:19 am
18 Jan 2008
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Greta Posted 2:40 am
22 Jan 2008
The Solar Electric Light Fund is a non-profit organization whose mission is to help off-grid rural villagers in developing countries power a brighter future through clean, renewable energy and modern communications. SELFs projects are shaped by local priorities and led by local people often women and address critical needs in homes, clinics, schools, agriculture, and microenterprise. SELF seeks strategies that are holistic, sustainable, and replicable, and freely shares its learning and insights. Learn more about our work at http://www.self.org.
Also, you can read a few pages of energy education and, by doing so, $100 will be donated to SELF by Hinkle Foundation.
The Hinkle Pure Waste Challenge - Save Energy and Help SELF!
Read a bit about three ways that each of us can lessen global warming.
Email a pledge to take such steps to: (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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mwildfire Posted 9:13 am
29 Jan 2008
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dancingwolfgrrl Posted 3:17 am
31 Jan 2008
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Vitamin Posted 7:19 am
17 Apr 2008
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