We'll fund vaccines and throw in the social stereotypes for free!

[mrissa]

Gmail is not letting me log in; this is annoying, but it says they're trying to fix it.

You know what else is annoying? United Way's print ad campaign. Again, or still. They've got pictures of people saying that they did certain things -- "I pulled 33,000 kittens from burning buildings!" -- and then it says it was through the magic of donating money to United Way. Except it's not 33,000 kittens. It's stuff like -- well, here are the examples I remember:

A bearded, long-haired guy in a leather jacket: helped preschoolers with their social skills
Two middle-aged women: built houses for the poor
(the latest one to spark my wrath) A Hispanic guy with a goatee: helped a bunch of kids get their teeth straightened out

Because everybody knows that those longhair freaky types shouldn't be allowed near children, and girls can't build houses, and Hispanics can't be dentists! Thanks, United Way, for allowing us to pay someone to have humanitarian skills we would lack if we were walking stereotypes!

As I was sitting at a stoplight boggling at a bus that had the one with the Hispanic teeth-straightener on its side, I saw that it had a set of wrenches in the background. So I think the idea was supposed to be, "Mechanics aren't dentists." But it came out, "Them Mexicans ain't dentists, but they'll fix your car up real good!" Oh yah. Much better.

I would like to send -- oh, let's say, all the women from my folks' church's Habitat for Humanity housebuilding team, plus all the Hispanic dentists and orthodontists in the suburb we lived in when we were in California -- after the idiots who came up with this campaign. The leather-jacketed shaggy people, being generally amiable, even-tempered types, can babysit for the housebuilders' and dentists'/orthodontists' kids while they go kick ad agency butt. "United Way: we will play on cheap stereotypes, so give us your money." Great. Thanks. Just what I wanted.

Comments

[tanaise.livejournal.com]

I HATE that my company basically dictates giving money to them. I have thus far resisted giving money directly to them, though the book sales have gotten some of my money.

My brother showed me this once: http://www.charitynavigator.org/ which rates charities based on a lot of things. This, for example, is where a couple of my friends work: http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/search.summary/orgid/4884.htm SoThe ratings are carefully explained on the site, and are largely about how much money they spend on things other than their projects. My favorite rating is the Fundraising Efficiency: "We calculate a charity's fundraising efficiency by determining how much it spends to generate $1 in charitable contributions." It also has a number top ten lists, and lets you search by location or type of charity or such. So it's a very good tool for making sure the money you're giving charities goes to the right places. (and actually, looking at the rating of the Boston Area United Way, I'm thinking strongly of asking my company to consider instead picking highly rated charities in the area and donating directly to them.)

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

That's a very useful site, thanks!

[tanaise.livejournal.com]

My mother supports United Way in our home town simply because it is the easiest way to get money to the various smaller groups that need money--it's the middle of nowhere, even something like the Charity Navigator wouldn't cover the groups out there, and my mother doesn't have time to do the proper research herself. but in a big city, United Way seems largely to be an inefficient way to give money.

[arielstarshadow.livejournal.com]

Charity Navigator is wonderful!

[grndexter.livejournal.com]

I usually give to places where the rubber is visibly meeting the road. Like Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Reservation, and like the local (area) homeless missions that provide food, clothing and shelter to individuals and families and help them get back on their feet.

For larger need giving, orgs like the Salvation Army and the USO work for me.

[cissa.livejournal.com]

Yeah- the Boston one is pretty awful on so many accounts. Including the periodic accounting scandals.