Mormon Life - Donations tag

Dave Says: Where Does the Donation Go?

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:03:00 -0700

by Dave Ramsey
source: MormonLife.com

Mormon Life says: How can we know if a charitable organization is using our money wisely?

Dear Dave,

Our financial situation is pretty good now, and my husband and I feel it is time to start giving something back. There are several organizations we’re interested in helping, but how can we know if they’re legitimate and will use our money wisely?

Laura

Dear Laura,

I really appreciate your giving spirit, but the truth is you can never be 100 percent certain about this kind of thing. About the best you can do is put in some serious time researching and digging beneath the surface of various organizations to find some that are a comfortable fit for you.

My wife and I give the majority of our donations to Christian ministries. It’s not unusual for us to take a tour of the place to see what kind of feel we get while we’re there. If they’re secretive or not forthcoming with what we consider to be basic information about how they operate, or if we see signs of opulence or super-luxury, you can bet we’ll be asking lots of questions.

Talk to the leaders and administrators about what they plan to do with the money from your donation. You have a right to know this. I mean, if they’re going to give the money to hurricane victims, you want the victims to get the money, right?

People who work for a charitable organization need to make a decent living just like everyone else. But if they’re ultra-rich, it could be a sign that they’re not being responsible with their donations. Take a look at their administrative costs - what percentage of donations goes directly to the cause - and anything else you feel would help you make the right decision.

Giving is like anything else. It takes time and work to do it responsibly and with excellence!

—Dave

For more financial help, please visit davesays.com.

LDS Church, local research fund helps children around the world

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 10:20:00 -0700

source: deseretnews.com

In Africa, death is cheated when small children are given a tiny zinc pill to stop diarrhea. And iodine in the irrigation water drastically reduces cases of mental retardation in western China.

Those solutions and others to very real, sometimes deadly children's health problems can be traced back to Salt Lake City, where the significant but largely unheralded Thrasher Research Fund helps turn a scientist's theory into a life-changer for kids around the world.

Many of the world's health findings are built on a foundation laid by early research funded with Thrasher grants. Today, Thrasher grants are helping researchers develop a better diagnostic test for fragile X syndrome, a chromosome defect that causes mental retardation. They are funding study of whether donated human breast milk will improve brain development outcomes in very low birthweight babies. And Thrasher's footing the bill to determine at what point a high Body Mass Index in children and adolescents translates to high blood pressure.

LDS Church donates over $900,000 to support Operation Smile

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:35:00 -0600

source: Newsroom.lds.org

Mormon Life says: This is one of those feel-good stories we all love to read. Operation Smile, an international children’s medical charity, joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in a joint news conference to thank the Church for its recent $927,000 donation.

Funds will support medical missions over the next year to help a combined 3,800 children in Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt and Jordan who are afflicted with cleft palate and other facial deformities.

“There’s no such thing as any one person doing anything in life. There is no one hero,” said Dr. William Magee, co-founder and CEO of Operation Smile. “Without so many people [working together], no job would get taken care of. There’s never one person that does it. The Church is a great example of that. … We want to say thank you for sharing your love. God bless you.”

Pacific island thankful for LDS Church's donation of desalination unit

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 09:35:00 -0600

source: guampdn.com

Worries over a lack of drinking water in Chuuk due to recent droughts have been alleviated thanks to the donation of a desalination unit.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormons, donated the unit Oct. 19. It will convert ocean water into drinking water, according to a news release from the church.

"On behalf of the people of Chuuk and the Chuuk state government, I say thank you," said Chuuk Gov. Wesley W. Simina." Indeed, words cannot express how much we are thankful for what you have done."