I know everyone has seen those sad commercials with the foreign kids that look so helpless and hungry it almost makes you want to cry. However, instead of picking up the phone and doing something about it most of us simply change the channel before we let our guilt convince us into calling the number. Why do most of us choose not to help when giving the amount of money they ask for is perfectly within out means? I thought long and hard about this question and posed it to myself and the answer I got was that without direct contact with the child Im sponsoring I cant be positive he or she is benefiting from the money I send. How do I know of the 73 cents a day or whatever is charged, 75% of that isnt going into the hands of some greedy CEO at the head of the company?
There are many ways to make sure your money is going into the right hands and if you are donating to the right company.
One was is by making sure the company is financially efficient. This can be determined by how much of the companies revenue is going toward charitable programs. The website, Charitynavigator.com is a site designed to rate charities based on financial efficiency.
Second way is to find out if the company is doing individually based sponsoring or community based. Individual sponsoring is when your money goes directly to that child or child's family to take care of basic expenses. Community based is when the company takes your money and uses it to make improvements in the child's community to positively impact their quality of life for a better chance at survival.
The third is to know the cost of sponsorship and how the money will be collected. Many companies try to insert hidden fees and automatic sign ups that take money from your account if you don't cancel an order you processed without out even knowing you clicked on it.
There are a list of questions smartgiver.org insist you must know before choosing a company to sponsor from. Ive listed them below
I researched some of the most popular child sponsor companies and included the link to their financial break down next to the companies name and rating.
Compassion International - rated 95.33/100 with 84% of the companies total expenses spent on the programs and services it delivers
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=3555#.VW98jEZ52So
Save the Children - rated 93.48/100 with 90.9% of the companies total expenses spent on the programs and services it delivers
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=4438#.VW9_E0Z52So
Christian Relief Fund - rated 95.9/100 with 92.1 % of the companies expenses spent on the programs and services it delivers
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=5378#.VW-AmEZ52So
I encourage all people to take the time and research which company would best fit you to sponsor a child. As human beings we must strive to help one another to create a better world for us all and it starts by you making this decision to help someone in need. I know I could never live with myself if I went to the funeral of a little kid who died of something that could have been prevented from my donation. Put it this way, If someone came to your face with a small child and said, "This child's parents died or do not have enough money to care for them so either you commit to paying the small monthly fee it cost to provide for the child or they will die in the next couple days". Could you really just let that kid die?
"If given the opportunity to help someone less fortunate those who have the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action"
I am selecting a child to sponsor, updates will follow
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