livingdeb | Self-Serving Donations

Every year I donate money to help those worse off than I am. This year I am donating an additional 1% of my income to organizations that help me personally (or have helped me personally in the past). I've been donating to public TV, public radio, the local wildflower center and, recently, my neighborhood association. I've also donated to the state park system in my state. This year I rounded out my 1% by contributing a bit to Backyard Monsters and a bit more to Wikipedia (aka Wikimedia when you're sending them money). Maybe next year I'll contribute to my alma maters or the public library system.

I've also thought about contributing an additional 1% to issues that are of interest to me personally. I already send money to Renewable Choice (not technically a charitable contribution), but have also thought about local organizations that promote cycling or walking or a planetarium or a local park or environmental group. Nothing grabbed me, but I like the idea and may use it next year.

Do any of you have a favorite cause that makes or has made your own life better?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I like the local Wildlife Rescue group. I've taken quite a few injured critters to them over the years, and I like that they are just as likely to rehab a grackle or skunk as they are a songbird or deer. (Unlike most folks, I don't think one animal is more valuable than another just because it might be prettier or doesn't scatter your trash.) I also like Bat Conservation International. They do a lot to keep our local bat populations healthy and happy and to educate the public on everything bats do for us. Austin is buggy enough-I don't want to think about how bad it might be if the bats went away!
--texpenguin

Thanks for the recommendations. I have experience with both of these, too, sort of. When I worked in Zoology, some people called us with questions that inspired us to refer them to Wildlife Rescue. And we were told that the bat bridge is a bat bridge today because of Bat Conservation International on our Segway Tour.

Oh, and the Austin Humane Society (may not be non-profit, not sure)! They have a free feral spay/neuter clinic, and have sterilized many thousands of feral cats to help keep the populations under control and decrease the number of cats put to death at Town Lake. They've neutered at least 15 cats in my little feral colony, and as a direct result, our colony has not grown (ie no kittens) in 2 years now, yay! We've had one new arrival, but we've lost 2 to age or health problems, so our count is going down rather than exponentially up, and that's a total win in my opinion!
--texpenguin

I don't make my decisions based on whether an organization is nonprofit. But, FYI, they are on JustGive.org's list. I like hearing these stories; thanks!

I, too, support wikipedia... I use it so often, and it does enhance my life. I also gave a very small donation to the Dance Gypsy website, after it helped me find info about a dance weekend earlier this year.

A local org that I like to support is Inside Books Project. They are a bare-bones, all-volunteer organization which sends books to inmates in Texas. I volunteered with them a few times this past year; very easy to help (fulfilling inmates' requests for materials), but it's sad that many of the requests are so outdated (6 months old in some cases). IBP simply lacks the funds to pay for the postage, even though they do send things at library rates. I'm not an expert on the subject, but I have heard that education during incarceration reduces recidivism, and well, that's good!

I never watch the public TV station, but I listen to public radio like a mild addict, I do make a donation every year (though that's generally not at the end of the year). Oh, and I also send a token amount to my alma mater. I think they have rich alumni as heavy hitters, and I'm certainly not going to give anyone a scholarship ever. But they did give me money when I needed it (still had to take lots of fed student loans), and I haven't forgotten that.

I like that idea of paying attention and making contributions as you go.

Texas does incarcerate a higher percentage of its population than any other state, so this is a big issue.

Re: TX's incarceration rate - so sad...

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