Too many worthy causes, £1m isn't enough, can you up it to a couple of billion, please? 
To Whom Would You Give?
- Thread starter thestrangequark
- Start date
"A Hundred BILLION Dollars!"Too many worthy causes, £1m isn't enough, can you up it to a couple of billion, please?
Local fire department...
I think I would sooner use the money myself to help those in need rather than hand it over to a charity where I don't know what it will be used on or even if it will be used effectively.
I've always imagined however that if I did have millions of pounds of money I would walk up to those people that sell badges for a pound for charity and buy their entire stock. I also imagine going up to people selling the big issue, buying all their mags and then just handing them out for free.
I've always imagined however that if I did have millions of pounds of money I would walk up to those people that sell badges for a pound for charity and buy their entire stock. I also imagine going up to people selling the big issue, buying all their mags and then just handing them out for free.
^ I concur.
I have pondered on this... Had a conversation the other day about being selfish, and I believe everybody is intrinsically selfish. Giving money to charity gives you a feeling of largess, which I totally understand.
Which is why, if given a million to use to make peoples lives better, I would not go for the animal charities, sorry I love animals, but living where the Headquaters of the RSPCA are I know how much they squandered on a new building. For office staff, not for stray or needy animals. I also know a friend who worked at Cats Protection Leaque, where they bought flowers and cakes for a worker out of the charity funds.
So I will avoid 'big charities'
I would set up a trust for 'people in need' in my local area. Whether it be someone who needs help caring with poorly relatives, a kid who wants financial help with schooling, anyone really who has fallen on hard times.
But, if I did have the money I would not need to work so would prefer to use spare time to help. If it's just looking up advice or having a cup of tea.
So my answer is I would set up a local trust, and read and appraise all requests. And decide how I see fit. See that's the Selfish bit!
I have pondered on this... Had a conversation the other day about being selfish, and I believe everybody is intrinsically selfish. Giving money to charity gives you a feeling of largess, which I totally understand.
Which is why, if given a million to use to make peoples lives better, I would not go for the animal charities, sorry I love animals, but living where the Headquaters of the RSPCA are I know how much they squandered on a new building. For office staff, not for stray or needy animals. I also know a friend who worked at Cats Protection Leaque, where they bought flowers and cakes for a worker out of the charity funds.
So I will avoid 'big charities'
I would set up a trust for 'people in need' in my local area. Whether it be someone who needs help caring with poorly relatives, a kid who wants financial help with schooling, anyone really who has fallen on hard times.
But, if I did have the money I would not need to work so would prefer to use spare time to help. If it's just looking up advice or having a cup of tea.
So my answer is I would set up a local trust, and read and appraise all requests. And decide how I see fit. See that's the Selfish bit!
There's merit to that idea, but there's also charities that could be helped to make a huge breakthrough in treatment of disease and save or improve thousands of lives which would never happen with smaller donations to small charities. But I do get what you mean.
Depends on the research, of course, but I'm sure there's certain cases where £1m could make a huge difference, even if it doesn't directly lead to the big breakthrough, it could at least contribute.
Whilst I do obviously realise the importance of medical research I do wonder how the multi-millions raised for Aids research, for example, have been used.
Cancer charities are natuarally worthwhile but I think instead of competing with each other should come together for the ultimate aim. IMHO.
Well it's likely they weren't set up with competing agendas, but simply to help people with specific types of problems. For instance if you look at how widely you can be affect by different strains. Are they there to help people cope? Disseminate information for people affected? Are they there to fight in their corner when new treatments become available, or advise medical comities? If you have one single charity you run the risk of stretching it to far and wide to effectively do all of those things, for all of those different strains.
I don't disagree. Like I said, I'd give money to the local hospice, who have provided a great service for family members. I also agree that research should be funded by the government, but there's only so much money they can provide to so many research projects.
It's really quite heartwarming to read through this thread, and thank you to everyone who's responded so far, and so thoughtfully! As for those who want to help themselves/their own, that's worthy, of course. But in this thread it's not allowed! The money can be given only to a charity/cause.
As to the subject of knowing exactly where your money is going, if you'd like to answer that you'd use the money to help set up your own charity, that's great! Let us know what your charity would do, though! I think that so long as one researches their charity well, then a donation to an existing charity, no matter what the size, is worthwhile. An established charity would have more resources and experience, so I think that in some cases it would be a better use of the money to donate it through official channels.
And what wonderful causes people have specified so far! I've learned about charities I hadn't known of before while reading through this thread; Miss Chicken, the story you linked was heart-wrenching, and the charity wonderful. I think it also says a lot about the individual which causes they choose.
As to the subject of knowing exactly where your money is going, if you'd like to answer that you'd use the money to help set up your own charity, that's great! Let us know what your charity would do, though! I think that so long as one researches their charity well, then a donation to an existing charity, no matter what the size, is worthwhile. An established charity would have more resources and experience, so I think that in some cases it would be a better use of the money to donate it through official channels.
And what wonderful causes people have specified so far! I've learned about charities I hadn't known of before while reading through this thread; Miss Chicken, the story you linked was heart-wrenching, and the charity wonderful. I think it also says a lot about the individual which causes they choose.
I would use the money for local causes. I may slip a few pounds to a reputible donkey sanctuary, or would love to build a well for an African village but I would want to know my money is going directly to the cause. The problem with large, established charities is that the money can sometimes be lost in 'administration' costs. Whereas if one established a 'charitable fund' and dealt with it themselves there would be no initial or additional outlay.
I would go to a local homeless shelter or a shelter for abused women and hand 10 families $100,000 each.
Charities disclose how their money is spent; you should be able to find a pie chart or something on their website.
