Charities

[coccinelle]

I'm looking for a charity which helps children with their education (anywhere in the world), mainly for those who can't afford one. However, I don't want to be giving this money to an organisation which pays large salaries to its staff as I would want the maximum of the money going to help these children. Any ideas, anybody?

[sara3]

http://www.worldvision.org.uk/

this is a good one, coccinelle, but it's about more than just education. you sponsor a child, so get a personal touch, but the money goes directly to their community for different projects.

[R1Geezer]

Keep your money, all the major charities have huge administrations and will swallow up most of the money.

[heathfield]

Well, Geezer, let's take an example...Oxfam's administrative costs run at 11%. Reinvestment for expansion and, e.g., property upkeep, costs them another 10%. That's 21% in total. So does that leave only 79% of your donation to be spent directly on charitable works? Not necessarily...

For donations declared under the government's Gift Aid scheme, Oxfam can claim back the tax previously paid on your donation. So at basic tax rate of 20%, for evey £10 you donate, Oxfam will receive £12.50. Take off the 21% for admin and reinvestment from that £12.50, and you'll find that £9.875 (i.e. 98.75%) of your £10 remains, to be spent fully on charitable work.

Whatever charity you end up choosing, Coccinelle, make sure you apply to them for a Gift Aid form to fill in and forward so that they, and you, will get the best value from your donations.

[tamborine]

Is an indian orphanage (set up by M. Theresa) your choice?

[ann_h]

Nkandla and many similar in Souhern Africa if you're OK with it being run by nuns
They provide schooling/board etc for children who've lost family through AIDS

You can send money directly to the orphanage to pay towards tuition fees, clothing travel etc

[R1Geezer]

I accept the figures above, the other problem is that even if the charity here is efficient once it gets to some TPLAC it ends up buying a 15th rolls royce for the local chief!

[coccinelle]

Thanks for your answers everybody. Will look more into the worldvision sara3 and also Nkandla ann_h. It's for money left in a will rather than during my lifetime. Have no family so would like to leave everything to a good cause. Worked hard for it so don't want it filling some rich man's pockets.
R1Geezer what does TPLAC mean?

[tamborine]

Donate a bursary in your Will, for your assets to go to a public school on condition it's used for the free education for a gifted child who hasn't the means for such an opportunity. i.e. There are bursarys at Eton & Harrow college for free education for recommended gifted children. The boys at Westminster Cathedral college have bursaries for boys with good singing voices – someone has donated towards the u/m bursary.

http://www.westminste...process/bursaries.asp

[tamborine]

Donate a bursary? Will your assets to a public school on condition it's used for the free education of gifted child who hasn't the means for such an opportunity. i.e. There are bursarys at Eton & Harrow college for free education for recommended gifted children. The boys at Westminster Cathedral college have bursaries for boys with
good singing voices – someone has donated towards the u/m bursary.

http://www.westminste...process/bursaries.asp

am sure I had posted this somewhere? Anyway, charity begins at home for me.