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Candy

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Jun 10, 2005
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So, everyone here has gotten one of those mail-outs that have your name on return labels with pretty animals or children on them, free of charge, but with a circled, suggested, donation.

I got one in the mail, and I have been debating what to do with said products not only in my head but with a co-worker. This time I recieved a "to-do" list with my name at the top, pretty wolves all over it, and a package of return labels. I'm getting ready to bug the shit out of Shawn by pulling him away from the sex he is having with his 360 to ask him what he thinks.

Delimma: I don't want to use these materials unless I send a donation. If I send a donation, I want to know why they don't just stop printing materials and give that money to the wolves. If I use the materials and don't send a donation I will feel like a scumbag who took away from the wolves. If I throw the materials away and don't send a donation I feel like they wasted all this money and product on me, the scumbag who got the product, and instead of at the very least using it, threw away potential wolf money and DID not send a donation.

I looked up this particular charity and they donate approx. 3.3 million per year. Admin expenses are 2.5 million and within these admin expenses include the salary of the CEO which is $250K. Not bad for sending out a bunch of bullshit letters and writing checks.

Here is the kicker - their product expenses are 17 million. I realize they need these products to get donations, but a true animal lover donates without needing products so send the fucking money used to print the stupid labels and stamps and all that other bullshit directly to these funds and if you tell the people you are sending mail-outs to, that you are sending the money directly to the fund but you won;t get the "prize labels," people like myself wouldn't be having these debates. I would send them a check no questions asked. I do not, however, want to contribute to the sending out of all these products to non-donators. I also do not want to contribute to the 250K salary of the CEO who I am sure is a great guy and all...

Excuse grammar and spelling pls. I'm weaving back and forth from working and internets in only 5 minue intervals.

What do you do when you get this stuff in the mail?
 
Some charities are set up solely for the purpose of giving people a job to do. I sponsor a child through Christian Children's Fund and I know that 80% of the money I send in is going directly to the child. Administrative and advertising costs are necessary since most people are like me and don't call until we've seen the commercials a million times.

I wouldn't donate to any charity that spends more money on itself then it actually uses to help what it's claiming to help. Use the materials and request to be taken off their mailing list.
 
FlyNavy said:
Some charities are set up solely for the purpose of giving people a job to do. I sponsor a child through Christian Children's Fund and I know that 80% of the money I send in is going directly to the child. Administrative and advertising costs are necessary since most people are like me and don't call until we've seen the commercials a million times.

I wouldn't donate to any charity that spends more money on itself then it actually uses to help what it's claiming to help. Use the materials and request to be taken off their mailing list.
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My problem is not the Admin fees - you have to pay people to work. My problem is the 17MILLION in products they are spending. I know they use it to generate revenue, but it would go over better, at least for me, if they just stright up asked and forgot the products. I think it is a gross mis-appropriation of funds. If they are recieving that much in revenue - send it to the fund and forget about the products. :confused:

The other side of this is: are people just guilted into sending money like I am? Maybe the products are necessary. This is the argument in my head. :(
 
If you feel that you should donate to charity then by all means do it. Most of our lives would be better if more people took a direct involvement in their community. I do however think that 80% of the charity requests we receive via the mail are BS. If you are going to give put your money and time directly into your local community. By doing this you know exactly where your money is going and in turn you are making a positive statement for your community that not all of us have turned into mindless greedy "Filthy Americans".
 
Candy said:
My problem is not the Admin fees - you have to pay people to work. My problem is the 17MILLION in products they are spending. I know they use it to generate revenue, but it would go over better, at least for me, if they just stright up asked and forgot the products. I think it is a gross mis-appropriation of funds. If they are recieving that much in revenue - send it to the fund and forget about the products. :confused:

The other side of this is: are people just guilted into sending money like I am? Maybe the products are necessary. This is the argument in my head. :(
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Yeah, that's not much of a charity if they're spending so much more than they're donating. Still, I don't see the point of a charity that spends more on itself than it uses for charitable purposes. That makes me think it's a bullshit charity created solely so that CEO can have a six figure income and employ a bunch of his friends.
 
all I know is - I donated some cash to the Red Cross for Katrina relief, and I felt like I was doing my part, only to later hear about how they pocketed a lot of contribution cash

f' that
 
BeeRad said:
Sorry I am a little slow today but that means 86 cents to the wildlife right?
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no, it doesn't take into account the other expenses. that's just for the fundraising

Fundraising Efficiency: The amount spent to raise $1 in charitable contributions. To calculate a charity's fundraising efficiency, we divide its fundraising expenses by the total contributions it receives.
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I think Candy read the site wrong. Here's how this charity breaks down:

Revenue
Primary Revenue $23,721,176
Other Revenue $2,008,604
Total Revenue $25,729,780

Expenses
Program Expenses $17,609,930
Administrative Expenses $2,486,183
Fundraising Expenses $3,370,250
Total Functional Expenses $23,466,363

So that 17 million isn't for product expenses, it's for program expenses meaning 17 million goes to the cause it exists to support. 2.5 is spend on administrative stuff like the buildings they operate out of, salaries, getting the money to where it needs to go, etc. 3.5 is spend on getting money in which would include the mass mailings and the products Candy recieved.

Overall about 75 cents of every dollar they get is going to wildlife preservation.
 
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FlyNavy said:
no, it doesn't take into account the other expenses. that's just for the fundraising




I think Candy read the site wrong. Here's how this charity breaks down:

Revenue
Primary Revenue $23,721,176
Other Revenue $2,008,604
Total Revenue $25,729,780

Expenses
Program Expenses $17,609,930
Administrative Expenses $2,486,183
Fundraising Expenses $3,370,250
Total Functional Expenses $23,466,363

So that 17 million isn't for product expenses, it's for program expenses meaning 17 million goes to the cause it exists to support. 2.5 is spend on administrative stuff like the buildings they operate out of, salaries, getting the money to where it needs to go, etc. 3.5 is spend on getting money in which would include the mass mailings and the products Candy recieved.

Overall about 75 cents of every dollar they get is going to wildlife preservation.
Click to expand...

I'm still only counting 6 million and chage - what are the other expenses? Salaries, etc are coming out of admin expenses, no?

I did look at the functional expenses wrong - I didn't take into account the fact that thoses INCLUDED the fundraising and admin dollars. But we are still almost 11 million, right?

I don't feel as guilty about the promo materials now :)

EDIT: So Im guessing that the remainder goes into saving the wolves....
 
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:confused: yeah

2.5 admin
3.4 fundraising
17.6 program <--- saving wolfies

adds up to 23.4 mil. I'm not sure where you're getting 11 million....that 17 and a half million we're talking about is what goes to the solves.
 
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