Sponsor a child

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Digity
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Sponsor a child

Post by Digity »

Has anyone here ever sponsored a child? Any advice on which charity organizations are good for this sort of thing?
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retrofuturist
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Re: Sponsor a child

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,

I think World Vision has a pretty good track record of having a high percentage of contributions go to the end recipient.

I once heard Reverend Tim Costello explain that some people complain that 100% doesn't go to the target.

His standard reply to such a complaint is something to the effect of "Sure, we could post a cheque off to Africa, but whose hands will it end up in?". It takes a certain amount of infrastructure to ensure that money goes to the best recipients, and they seem to have a pretty good track record in this regard.

Metta,
Paul. :)
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DooDoot
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Re: Sponsor a child

Post by DooDoot »

Hi D

I sponsored three children for 13 years with World Vision although I did not really get personally involved with the children but many people do. The money generally goes to the child's community rather than to the child itself. I was pleased when I saw the photos of the community & particularly their agricultural & infrastructure developments. It brought me happiness. You can check the (internet) annual reports of various organisations about their spending. I give to charity primarily to avoid stinginess. I stopped the sponsorship when I left my job (plus the children were young adults by then). I also sponsored an orphanage in Nepal. Best wishes.

For example: https://www.worldvision.com.au/about-us/annual-reports & https://www.compassion.com.au/about-us/financials/
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Polar Bear
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Re: Sponsor a child

Post by Polar Bear »

Just Give Directly. It's a top rated charity and very effective. The idea that you need to sponsor a specific person is a human foible that actually prevents you from doing as much good as you can.

Some great resources to check out if you are interested in being a charitable person:

Effective Altruism Intro -
Most of us want to make a difference. We see suffering, injustice and death, and are moved to do something about them. But working out what that ‘something’ is, let alone actually doing it, is a difficult problem.

This essay is an introduction to effective altruism — the use of high-quality evidence and careful reasoning to work out how to help others as much as possible. Its purpose is to help you figure out how you can do the most good...
Give Well - Charity Evaluator - GiveWell is a nonprofit dedicated to finding outstanding giving opportunities through in-depth analysis. Thousands of hours of research have gone into finding our top-rated charities. They’re evidence-backed, thoroughly vetted, and underfunded.

Giving What We Can - Giving What We Can is a community of effective givers. We inspire people to donate significantly and as effectively as possible.

The Life You Can Save - Effective giving to reduce global suffering and death? It's a no-brainer.
The more you know about extreme poverty and high-impact interventions, the easier and more compelling it is to spread the word about effective giving. We've created and compiled some resources that we think you'll find interesting as well as useful, including responses to common objections to donating. Use the documents, videos, lists and tools linked below to answer your own questions, to help you answer other people's questions, and to share with your communities. The Life You Can Save- Learn More
May you save and improve many lives!

:namaste:
"I don't envision a single thing that, when developed & cultivated, leads to such great benefit as the mind. The mind, when developed & cultivated, leads to great benefit."

"I don't envision a single thing that, when undeveloped & uncultivated, brings about such suffering & stress as the mind. The mind, when undeveloped & uncultivated, brings about suffering & stress."
Digity
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Re: Sponsor a child

Post by Digity »

Thanks for the info! Any other recommendations for charities? I don't mean specific to sponsoring a child, but just in general.
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Polar Bear
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Re: Sponsor a child

Post by Polar Bear »

As far as donating to human beings goes, I don't know of any charities that would be better than the ones picked out by the charity evaluator sites I posted above. I defer to their recommendations since they're the experts.

This may be a bit off topic since it is fairly far removed from helping human children, but if you're interested in animal welfare and conservation you might want to have a look at these:
Animal Charity Evaluators: We are dedicated to finding and advocating for highly effective opportunities to improve the lives of animals.
Mercy For Animals: Mercy For Animals has been called one of the "best bang for your buck" organizations by VegNews magazine. Our programs spare millions of animals a year from a lifetime of misery. With our commitment to helping the largest number of suffering animals with the most effective and cost-efficient programs, you can rest assured that your donation to MFA will create major impact.
Effective Altruism Animal Welfare Fund: This fund will support organizations that work on improving the wellbeing of nonhuman animals, especially farmed animals.
Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative: The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) is a joint Canada-U.S. not-for-profit organization that connects and protects habitat from Yellowstone to Yukon so people and nature can thrive. We are the only organization dedicated to securing the long-term ecological health of this entire region.
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"I don't envision a single thing that, when developed & cultivated, leads to such great benefit as the mind. The mind, when developed & cultivated, leads to great benefit."

"I don't envision a single thing that, when undeveloped & uncultivated, brings about such suffering & stress as the mind. The mind, when undeveloped & uncultivated, brings about suffering & stress."
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