So, I submitted the building use form for the show today; right now it looks like it's going to be Sunday, June 5, from 3-5 PM. I don't want to have it on Friday because that would coincide with the Ithaca Festival Parade and opening, which I don't particularly want to attend, but I expect our potential patrons will. I'd rather have had the show the next weekend, but the space was unavailable.
Now that we have a venue, the show starts to seem a lot more real, and I am considering the possibility that some people may attend who would like to actually pay real, minted U.S. dollars for our work, and much as I would like to spend those dollars on Christian Loubotin shoes or, failing that, my college education, I have decided to forward all the aforementioned proceeds to the Japanese relief effort. But I need a way to do this, as donating to charity is not actually as easy as you might think it should be.
So, I have thoroughly explored two websites designed for the express purpose of helping you decide where and how to philanthropize with 'em, dude (anyone? anyone? ...no...okay) : www.charitynavigator.org/ and www.bbb.org/charity-reviews. I am inclined to trust the BBC because hell, it's the BBC - and the other one looks reputable too. After carefully traversing the above sites, I have selected:
Now that we have a venue, the show starts to seem a lot more real, and I am considering the possibility that some people may attend who would like to actually pay real, minted U.S. dollars for our work, and much as I would like to spend those dollars on Christian Loubotin shoes or, failing that, my college education, I have decided to forward all the aforementioned proceeds to the Japanese relief effort. But I need a way to do this, as donating to charity is not actually as easy as you might think it should be.
So, I have thoroughly explored two websites designed for the express purpose of helping you decide where and how to philanthropize with 'em, dude (anyone? anyone? ...no...okay) : www.charitynavigator.org/ and www.bbb.org/charity-reviews. I am inclined to trust the BBC because hell, it's the BBC - and the other one looks reputable too. After carefully traversing the above sites, I have selected:
Why I approve: It's been going since 1948, and 98% of its total funds go to its programs, leaving 2% for marketing and fundraising expenses, which is perhaps why it's not as widely known as, say, the American Red Cross. Why I didn't pick the Red Cross: Only 90% of its total funds go to its actual relief programs, and most of the rest goes to marketing. Furthermore, the ARC doesn't promise to give all the money you send directly to the Japanese relief effort (part of your gift may go to marketing or relief in other places), while DRI sends every penny straight to Japan, if you specify that's what you want.
Also, this is from the mission statement: "DRI’s medical assistance programs help to equip health professionals working in resource-poor communities to meet the challenges of diagnosing, treating, and caring for people without regard to politics, religion, gender, race, or ability to pay." I like this very well; the American Red Cross is, after all, a cross, and I fear it may exhibit some of the same bigotry in its operations as the Salvation Army, for example. DRI goes out of its way to be unbiased. And it's mainly providing medical relief, which may be more crucial than anybody has foreseen, if the disaster at Fukushima continues to escalate.
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