Like many Americans, I’m celebrating the end of the 2017 tax year by sending out a flurry of last minute contributions, in my case to progressive causes. Purely political organizations, of course, are not a tax deduction but many great activist groups are. Here’s a quick list of my donations (all pretty small) made so far today – I’m curious to hear what other people are doing along these lines.
Doctors Without Borders – I assume everybody at Dkos knows about this heroic group of physicians and other health workers. Their hospitals have been bombed more than once by the American military, which makes giving to them a moral obligation in my view. Here’s an excerpt from their site:
In more than 60 countries around the world, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) saves lives by providing medical aid where it is needed most—in armed conflicts, epidemics,natural disasters, and other crisis situations. Many contexts call for a rapid response employing specialized medical and logistical help, but we also run longer-term projects designed to tackle health crises and support people who cannot otherwise access health care.
American Friends Service Committee – Although not a Quaker, I find that I have agreed with nearly every stand and campaign of the AFSC over the decades. Currently their projects focus on defending immigrant rights, ending mass incarceration, and opening communication with North Korea, among other issues.
There is no better evidence for the good work done by the AFSC for the past century than the fact that the FBI has consistently targeted them. Here’s a brief glimpse of the vast trove of FBI files on the AFSC.
Environmental Defense Fund – There are so many environmental groups, I don’t have any consistent pattern of support among EDF, the Sierra Club, the Nature Conservancy etc. I picked EDF because of its commitment to waging legal battles against Trump’s “EPA” and bypassed an old favorite,Greenpeace this year. Any thoughts on these and related groups?
UNICEF – As Trump and Haley work to dismantle all the great work being done by the UN, the life-saving work of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund deserves your support in any way you can manage. We donate monthly.
Heifer International – If you don’t know about this very effective organization, you owe to yourself as a resident of our own overly rich an aggressive country to find out. What Heifer does is focus on food security and nutrition in the poorest parts of this planet. They are very much into women’s empowerment and everything they do is designed to help desperate people on tiny patches of land become self-sustaining. We donate monthly.
ACLU- We were donating monthly but canceled after Charlottesville. I’ll still send them an occasional check but not when they defend the rights of Nazis.
War Resisters League – I never sent money to the WRL before today when a friend showed me one of their flyers. They are consistent in their pacifism since the days of A.J. Muste and have taken a strong stance against military recruiting, police abuse of minorities and specific US acts of aggression, most recently in Yemen. They have never wavered in their opposition to all wars and I remembered their help in past struggles. They have always been a tiny group, and a few dollars helps them to stay afloat.
and DEMOCRACY NOW! As far as I’m concerned, there is no better progressive source of domestic and international news. I used to listen to DN founder Amy Goodman on WBAI in NYC but no the website and podcast makes Amy and co-host Juan Gonzalez available worldwide. They stay with a story like Standing Rock or Hurricane Maria’s aftermath long after MSNBC has moved on to the latest distraction. Recently, they have been great on the US tampering with democracy in Honduras..
I’m not including in this diary the many great organizations targeting specific illnesses, such as the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the American Cancer Society, but in light of Trump’s cutbacks in every area of human health, contributions will be vital across the board.
A last word: Before donating to any supposedly worthy cause, check out the organization by using Charity Navigator. They will answer such questions as:
1- Is a donation taxdeductible or not? For example, War Resisters League is not butDemocracy Now is.
2- How much money does the charity spend on its stated purposes vs. administrative salaries and other costs? For example Doctors Without Borders has an excellent 97.3% score in Finances and Accountability and spends a generous 88.3% on providing medical care. All very clear. The highly publicized Wounded Warriors, however, does not have the same level of clarity at Charity Navigator, and we no longer send them anything.
I recognize that my own list of causes is not for every one. But I’m very curious to read your thoughts and recommendations for charitable giving. (and how the Trump Tax Scam will impact charitable donations)