In recent news, Save the Children has been ranked as a top U.S. charity for spending its money efficiently according to Forbes, "Top 200 Largest U.S. Charities" for 2011. Forbes list ranks charities on the measure of a nonprofit's level of fundraising efficiency based on private donations for a given year and its charitable commitment. This isn't the only ranking that Save the Children has received however. The organization was also ranked one of the best charities in the U.S. by Charity Navigator who reviews more than 5,500 U.S. charities for financial efficiency, accountability and transparency. Charity Navigator gave Save the Children four out of four possible stars, for its tenth year in a row.
In 2010, Save the Children gave 90 percent of its overall expenses to programs benefiting children and kept the private cost to raise a dollar below 10 cents, one of the best ratios among nonprofit organizations. This is one of the reasons Save the Children is continuously ranked as one of the best charities in the United States. One of the problems we have with charities and organization today is that they can't be trusted. Often times what they say is going to happen with all of the money, doesn't. Most of the money will go to their cause but some of it will be pocketed for the members of the organization. Lies are told about how much percent is going where and exactly what the money is going to. This leaves people questioning what organizations are actually doing good and which ones they should actually put their money towards. With Save the Children, people can trust that their money is directly going to a good cause.
This past summer, I worked with underprivileged children in South Carolina. The kids had little to nothing, and reading, writing, and math skills were way behind what they should be for their age. Working directly with Save the Children, I can say from experience that they are doing amazing things and people's money is truly going where it should be. Do you donate to charities? If so, where? Before donating your money you should really make sure that the organization is credible. If you are still a student like me, donating money is probably not an option so look into programs, volunteer your time instead. What are your hobbies and skills? Because I'm sure whatever they are, they would greatly be appreciated in one of Save the Children's programs that fits you.
2 comments:
Its good to know that there are charities out there that can help people like this. Save the Children seems very successful in helping the most people possible and spending their money as well as they can. This is a very good blog!
We struggle with this issue every year when it comes to determining which charities we should support. Due to the worry about how the money is spent, we tend to give to the same groups every year. It's good to know that there are organizations that rate charity efficiency and how much of each dollar is actually spent on administrative things as opposed to helping those who the charity professes to help. You're also right on in saying that philanthropy isn't just about the all-mighty dollar. Volunteering time can make a really big difference in a short period of time....doing so consistently over longer periods of time can result in making a huge difference to those less fortunate than us.
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