Does our $20 donation or even $100 donation help save starving childrens' lives?

Canadian Unicef gives this breakdown….

•4% of your donation goes on administration
•20% of your donation is used for fundraising

That means 76% goes to the actual programs. That’s a pretty good ratio

The American Institute of Philanthropy gives grades under their CharityWatch rubric.

Here’s their list of the top charities in various fields. (A+ to B+)

http://www.charitywatch.org/toprated.html

Their criteria

I joined Kiva because it seemed proactive and hands-on. I learned about it here, on Fluther. I control my urge to make daily hourly contributions.

@Cruiser so that answers my question. Is it helpful to send them 75% of $20? How?And I’m sure many people give even less.

Check this out, @Aster. Consider that the average monthly wage of America’s neighbor, Mexico, is $609, or about $20 a day.

75% of $20 or $15 is about a day’s wage. Certainly enough to feed a number of children.

Or consider $5.11 per day for another neighbor.

And that only mentions the comparatively rich!

@Aster send them what you can and whatever you do send 4% will go to employee salaries, 20% to fundraising and advertising. So $.75 of every dollar you send will go to help the needy.

And that $.75 you donate, is added to the $.75 I make or @Cruiser, or @whoever makes and that combined figure does make a difference. This document explains how Unicef uses the funds it raises. While charities like Unicef may provide emergency nutrition and clean water in famine situations, they’re also trying to establish changes that provide villages and communities with long term support. So establishing a supply of clean water. Or paying for vaccinations for the children in a whole community.

Your $20 can therefore make a big difference if it’s donated to a charity where the majority of the donation gets to the people at the other end.

@Earthbound_Misfit I completely agree as many of these programs are more than just a square meal a day. One a good friend of mine is involved in focuses wholly on tillable land irrigation and one $2,500 irrigation pump can help water crops that will feed a small village and thusly teach the locals how to better their lives with such a simple improvement. Of course they could never afford such a luxury but these programs have monumental impacts on people who otherwise are suffering greatly.

I doubt I’d be interested in donating to a charity that was seriously expecting to go out and feed individual starving children. A charity that is working towards improving farming practices, irrigation, the provision of clean water etc. is a different story. Thanks @Cruiser.

@Earthbound_Misfit A lot of what you just mentioned is championed by mission organizations and there is a local church that raises monies and travels to remote areas of India and installs water wells as over there is a colossal need for fresh safe water to drink and cook with.