Charities without ridiculous OTT salaries, do they exist?

Old Red Eyes

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If so where might one find them? I have to make an educated decision soon and I'd appreciate the input. Yemen is on my heart, that's a brutal famine but I don't know any Christian charities on the ground that I can get behind.

I've been through the Charity navigator pages but find them very misleading to the point I question who runs them.

I'm not trying to run down the good work done by charities with high paying salaries, I believe in a wage for any job - a working wage. But surely someone who just wants a huge wage from a 'charity' yet knows how far a dollar goes in poor countries - is in the wrong line of work or their heart isn't in it?

I just get frustrated looking at the many of them realising I'd have to raise a few million just to pay all the Execs and board members - when the individual projects themselves depending on the country - only cost a few thousand.

I wonder how many people would donate if it was pitched 'we're collecting for Bob's Malibu holiday home and the kids on the streets'.
 

Sophrosyne

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I remember long ago I was a fan of Jerry Lewis thinking how wonderful he was for doing the MDA telethon every year till I found out how much he got PAID for it.
I was also a fan of the Red Cross in the 80s till I found out their CEO got 1.2 million a year.
There are some "Charities" run by politicians that rake in a bunch of money and spend most of it on salaries of their buddies and family.
 
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Rachel20

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I wonder how many people would donate if it was pitched 'we're collecting for Bob's Malibu holiday home and the kids on the streets'.

I know - when they can hold back 90 cents of every dollar for "overhead", and then that dime that's left may just get passed to another charity which takes its cut, it's truly sad.
 
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splish- splash

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Well; I don't know whether there's any charities, that are free from scandals. Good thing is God sees your heart.

Please do find time to pray, and the holy spirit will now guide you.
 
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Heavenhome

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If so where might one find them? I have to make an educated decision soon and I'd appreciate the input. Yemen is on my heart, that's a brutal famine but I don't know any Christian charities on the ground that I can get behind.

I've been through the Charity navigator pages but find them very misleading to the point I question who runs them.

I'm not trying to run down the good work done by charities with high paying salaries, I believe in a wage for any job - a working wage. But surely someone who just wants a huge wage from a 'charity' yet knows how far a dollar goes in poor countries - is in the wrong line of work or their heart isn't in it?

I just get frustrated looking at the many of them realising I'd have to raise a few million just to pay all the Execs and board members - when the individual projects themselves depending on the country - only cost a few thousand.

I wonder how many people would donate if it was pitched 'we're collecting for Bob's Malibu holiday home and the kids on the streets'.

After searching also, I settled on the Barnabus fund. You can give to their general fund, which goes where the need is greatest or they have a list of projects (quite a lot) that you can specifically nominate to give to.

They have a guarantee of how much and where your money is going to.

Perhaps you can check them out and see if you would be happy with them.
 
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HTacianas

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If so where might one find them? I have to make an educated decision soon and I'd appreciate the input. Yemen is on my heart, that's a brutal famine but I don't know any Christian charities on the ground that I can get behind.

I've been through the Charity navigator pages but find them very misleading to the point I question who runs them.

I'm not trying to run down the good work done by charities with high paying salaries, I believe in a wage for any job - a working wage. But surely someone who just wants a huge wage from a 'charity' yet knows how far a dollar goes in poor countries - is in the wrong line of work or their heart isn't in it?

I just get frustrated looking at the many of them realising I'd have to raise a few million just to pay all the Execs and board members - when the individual projects themselves depending on the country - only cost a few thousand.

I wonder how many people would donate if it was pitched 'we're collecting for Bob's Malibu holiday home and the kids on the streets'.

Sadly, they are hard to find. You are better off finding a local food bank and donating canned food. All of your donation goes to those who need it.

I actually get angry when I see so-called charities advertising on television because I knew long ago what you know now. The blame for it lies directly with the Internal Revenue Service. A "bona fide" charity need only distribute a pittance of what they take in but all contributions are tax deductible. So yes, Bob's Malibu holiday home was paid for by tax-exempt donations and it's perfectly legal.
 
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dqhall

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If so where might one find them? I have to make an educated decision soon and I'd appreciate the input. Yemen is on my heart, that's a brutal famine but I don't know any Christian charities on the ground that I can get behind.

I've been through the Charity navigator pages but find them very misleading to the point I question who runs them.

I'm not trying to run down the good work done by charities with high paying salaries, I believe in a wage for any job - a working wage. But surely someone who just wants a huge wage from a 'charity' yet knows how far a dollar goes in poor countries - is in the wrong line of work or their heart isn't in it?

I just get frustrated looking at the many of them realising I'd have to raise a few million just to pay all the Execs and board members - when the individual projects themselves depending on the country - only cost a few thousand.

I wonder how many people would donate if it was pitched 'we're collecting for Bob's Malibu holiday home and the kids on the streets'.
Judas Iscariot wanted to be treasurer so he could embezzle money from the treasury.
 
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Robban

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If so where might one find them? I have to make an educated decision soon and I'd appreciate the input. Yemen is on my heart, that's a brutal famine but I don't know any Christian charities on the ground that I can get behind.

Charity begins at home.

Give the homeless a home, the hungry food,
the naked clothes,

wherever you see him.

Then shall light break through.

(from Isaiah 58)

I've been through the Charity navigator pages but find them very misleading to the point I question who runs them.

I'm not trying to run down the good work done by charities with high paying salaries, I believe in a wage for any job - a working wage. But surely someone who just wants a huge wage from a 'charity' yet knows how far a dollar goes in poor countries - is in the wrong line of work or their heart isn't in it?

I just get frustrated looking at the many of them realising I'd have to raise a few million just to pay all the Execs and board members - when the individual projects themselves depending on the country - only cost a few thousand.

I wonder how many people would donate if it was pitched 'we're collecting for Bob's Malibu holiday home and the kids on the streets'.
 
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Old Red Eyes

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After searching also, I settled on the Barnabus fund. You can give to their general fund, which goes where the need is greatest or they have a list of projects (quite a lot) that you can specifically nominate to give to.

They have a guarantee of how much and where your money is going to.

Perhaps you can check them out and see if you would be happy with them.

Thanks for that, we've regularly given to the Barnabus fund.

And I appreciate all the answers in the thread, it seems its a common struggle to find a charity, Christian or not - that manages its wages in a fair and honest way. Has to be a couple out there though, somewhere.
 
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Sophrosyne

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I think charities that donate to political organizations should be stripped of their status as I think many charities are nothing but a front for politicians to get paid for things they do in office for the "donator" and the donator gets to write off some of the donation on their taxes while the person getting donated to who owns the charity pays themselves a large salary and gives other people jobs that either likewise do political favors or are owed by others.
 
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NxNW

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I was also a fan of the Red Cross in the 80s till I found out their CEO got 1.2 million a year.

That info is false. The real salary is about half that.

The Red Cross spends a small fraction of its revenue on administrative expenses. It's a pretty efficient organization. Considering how much they bring in, and how vast an organization it is, you wouldn't hire a CEO for $40K.
 
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Sophrosyne

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That info is false. The real salary is about half that.

The Red Cross spends a small fraction of its revenue on administrative expenses. It's a pretty efficient organization. Considering how much they bring in, and how vast an organization it is, you wouldn't hire a CEO for $40K.
It wasn't back then. I had a neighbor that worked for Red Cross back then that made more than my father did and my father was a computer programmer for Amoco.
 
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NxNW

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It wasn't back then. I had a neighbor that worked for Red Cross back then that made more than my father did and my father was a computer programmer for Amoco.

Back when? What did the neighbor do, and how was his salary relevant?
 
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