Donations to politicians?...............nope, uh uh, nada, ain't gonna do it, screw that.
That said, I DO absolutely believe in supporting good candidates (if you can find any) and helping them "win" elections......just not with cash. How then? - community outreach, political speech/conversation (in the appropriate places), showing up physically to support causes, etc. Lots of ways to help that aren't sending dollars, which - A) I don't have, B) they can get elsewhere, C) gets you on endless call/mailing lists, and D) they do stupid and wasteful things with.
Donations to causes/charities/etc.?................this one is tricky.
As has been noted, an enormous amount of donated money is often wasted.......often on efforts to continue hounding anyone who has given something in the past. I've actually worked for a few non-profits throughout my life....causes that I very much believed in and cared about deeply. It was always disheartening to see how much money/effort went down the drain simply on fundraising itself, not to mention a lot of those pesky "administrative expenses" (which btw ARE real and necessary and unavoidable much of the time). I remember particularly a mail campaign (back in the days before the internet, cell phones, etc.) wherein the organization mailed out obscene amounts of mailers and were absolutely thrilled if they got any kind of response to as little as half a percent of them. And these were not "blind/cold" mailings, but were in fact very specifically targeted ones.
That said, I do still give money to a few "causes" and such. I generally send it as anonymously as possible, and try very hard NOT to get added to ANY kind of mailing or call list. If I do ever get calls or mail from them, I never donate again and let them know why. I also try (though it's difficult) to search out groups/organizations that have good track records, or at the very least reputations, for spending their money wisely and efficiently. Better yet, instead of helping with cash, I try to get involved more directly (there are lots of ways to do so).
s6
ya haft be practical eh?!?!
