The largest chunk of money I give away each year (I should keep track some time) undoubtedly goes to panhandlers and tips to people in the service industry. I think of both of those as a way to help keep people alive. I know many people who think panhandlers are scammers, but I ask would you want to stand (or even sit) holding a sign for hours on end in the bitter cold and the scorching hot, watching most passersby ignore you? I also always introduce myself, ask what I can call them, and say I hope they’re doing okay. (I do not care if they spend this money on food or booze or whatever they want—I get the choice to make those decisions with my money; so should others.)
After that bucket my next one goes to small recurring donations to abortion rights organizations, some local, some national, and some larger onetime emergency abortion funding. (My great grandmother started an abortion fund in Florida that still exists—she’d had her own experiences there, and the moment Roe passed she though great, but it won’t help poor women, and she sold a bracelet and started the fund.)
My next bucket goes to recurring donations to local media sources (plus a few non-local newsletters) that do excellent reporting, give it away for free, and help keep me informed about the place I live in.
Thinking about my giving in categories was a worthwhile exercise and may inform future decisions I make—thanks for the opportunity to think it through.
Wonderful list of charities, John -- thanks for sharing. Given the extremists in the EA camp and the mess created by Sam B-F, I hope folks won't forget the broader point which is that it's important to support organizations or people who will use the funds it effectively and, ideally, measure outcomes to make sure they're using it effectively.
I've worked in and consulted for non-profits, and it's dismaying how much money is wasted and/or spent on efforts for which no one has any idea if they're actually working. United Way chapters are particularly bad at this.
Thanks, John. As someone who grew up in Chicago (and whose father was a Chicago policeman, with all that implies), I support the Invisible Institue, which does investigative journalism & human rights advocacy, particularly in regard to the CPD.
[and a book recommendation on this topic would be Simon Balto's Occupied Territory]
After visiting Alert Bay, British Columbia a few years ago, I began supporting the U'mista Cultural Society. It concentrates on educating its young people in their cultural heritage -- that of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw First Nation.
That essay was hilarious. I hate those stupid sliding doors that hotels have on their bathrooms. The author really nailed it--glad to hear I'm not alone.
And thanks for the great charity recommendations as well!
I donate every month to a group called Atheists Helping the Homeless Phoenix. When I lived there I volunteered with this group whom pass out personal care items to the homeless in downtown Phoenix. They are a hardworking bunch of volunteers with all money donated going directly to those who need it.
We're in a spot (two young kids) where most of our money has a job. We have a subscription (membership?) to a local media non-profit, a recurring if small gift to a local food bank because we've understood money is way better than in kind donations, and are a community drop-off point for the diaper bank (so take in donations, sort and label what's appropriate for distribution, redistribute what isn't appropriate). I also give monthly to the Social Order Box at my Quaker meeting, which rotates between various local nonprofits doing work in areas of Quaker interest, mostly nonviolence loosely defined and hunger.
Something about Effective Altruism has always seemed a bit off to me, it's bound up with too much baggage, and seems to be promoted mostly by those who are benefiting the most from a system that organically produces the ills they claim to want to address (rather than addressing or even criticizing the system itself). I suspect the good it produces renders it immune from any criticism.
Sometimes books lead the way. After reading Overstory by Richard Powers and Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson I looked for an organization that supported redwood conservation and found it in Save the Redwoods League. Someday I hope to see the giants myself but for now I am doing what I can to preserve them for others, now and in the future.
The largest chunk of money I give away each year (I should keep track some time) undoubtedly goes to panhandlers and tips to people in the service industry. I think of both of those as a way to help keep people alive. I know many people who think panhandlers are scammers, but I ask would you want to stand (or even sit) holding a sign for hours on end in the bitter cold and the scorching hot, watching most passersby ignore you? I also always introduce myself, ask what I can call them, and say I hope they’re doing okay. (I do not care if they spend this money on food or booze or whatever they want—I get the choice to make those decisions with my money; so should others.)
After that bucket my next one goes to small recurring donations to abortion rights organizations, some local, some national, and some larger onetime emergency abortion funding. (My great grandmother started an abortion fund in Florida that still exists—she’d had her own experiences there, and the moment Roe passed she though great, but it won’t help poor women, and she sold a bracelet and started the fund.)
My next bucket goes to recurring donations to local media sources (plus a few non-local newsletters) that do excellent reporting, give it away for free, and help keep me informed about the place I live in.
Thinking about my giving in categories was a worthwhile exercise and may inform future decisions I make—thanks for the opportunity to think it through.
Wonderful list of charities, John -- thanks for sharing. Given the extremists in the EA camp and the mess created by Sam B-F, I hope folks won't forget the broader point which is that it's important to support organizations or people who will use the funds it effectively and, ideally, measure outcomes to make sure they're using it effectively.
I've worked in and consulted for non-profits, and it's dismaying how much money is wasted and/or spent on efforts for which no one has any idea if they're actually working. United Way chapters are particularly bad at this.
Best wishes and happy holidays to all!
Thanks, John. As someone who grew up in Chicago (and whose father was a Chicago policeman, with all that implies), I support the Invisible Institue, which does investigative journalism & human rights advocacy, particularly in regard to the CPD.
https://invisible.institute
[and a book recommendation on this topic would be Simon Balto's Occupied Territory]
After visiting Alert Bay, British Columbia a few years ago, I began supporting the U'mista Cultural Society. It concentrates on educating its young people in their cultural heritage -- that of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw First Nation.
https://www.umista.ca
That essay was hilarious. I hate those stupid sliding doors that hotels have on their bathrooms. The author really nailed it--glad to hear I'm not alone.
And thanks for the great charity recommendations as well!
Happy Holiday to you. Enjoy your recommendations and blog.
I donate every month to a group called Atheists Helping the Homeless Phoenix. When I lived there I volunteered with this group whom pass out personal care items to the homeless in downtown Phoenix. They are a hardworking bunch of volunteers with all money donated going directly to those who need it.
We're in a spot (two young kids) where most of our money has a job. We have a subscription (membership?) to a local media non-profit, a recurring if small gift to a local food bank because we've understood money is way better than in kind donations, and are a community drop-off point for the diaper bank (so take in donations, sort and label what's appropriate for distribution, redistribute what isn't appropriate). I also give monthly to the Social Order Box at my Quaker meeting, which rotates between various local nonprofits doing work in areas of Quaker interest, mostly nonviolence loosely defined and hunger.
Something about Effective Altruism has always seemed a bit off to me, it's bound up with too much baggage, and seems to be promoted mostly by those who are benefiting the most from a system that organically produces the ills they claim to want to address (rather than addressing or even criticizing the system itself). I suspect the good it produces renders it immune from any criticism.
Sometimes books lead the way. After reading Overstory by Richard Powers and Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson I looked for an organization that supported redwood conservation and found it in Save the Redwoods League. Someday I hope to see the giants myself but for now I am doing what I can to preserve them for others, now and in the future.