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Saint or Scam - How to help spot a good charity vs a bad one

The world is full of lots of important causes in need. Whether a global challenge, such as curing the thousands and thousands of different types of cancers, or introduce mechanisms for plastic and toxin extraction from the marine ecosystem, or local causes such as improved hospice facilities to give those beyond medical intervention to give them the care they need and the environment to pass away with dignity, there appears to be no end to the number of ways that we can provide help, and no end to the number of places hoping to receive. With over 200,000 registered charities in the UK, let alone the many non-profit organisations, and countless individual fund-raising drives, this means the number of voices calling for your hard earned money has escalated from a loud noise, to beyond a deafening roar. With their tactics often turning to more and more graphic imagery, using extremes of guilt and emotional pressure, we are bombarded with these cause, and often give in to these pressures to contribute what little we can. But we can each only stretch so thin, and give so much. When being 'pounced upon' to donate, we often just get to hear the 'cover story' and pitch from the collector about how bad the problem is, but just how many of us look at how well the money is used to achieve the promise for a solution.   With us always meeting many charities and other causes, we get to prod deeper. Understanding the charity model, the legal limitations (such as the capping of salaries), and how some of these rules are 'worked around'. We look at the charity structure, business model (as all charities have to be like a business and balance their books), and the benefits they bring. We don't focus on criticising what the money is spent on, for example focusing on the costs of hosting a gala dinner to help build supporters which may have a high cost but might lead to great publicity and far more money to the cause. Instead we at Aurora focus on promises, and compare the money they receive with the promise of the good they will do with it. As an example, using a fictitious example charity "Save the Penguin", we want charities to explain te benefits that are generated for every £10 received, and just how this equates to the number of penguins rescued, rehabilitated and released. If we know, as donors, that donating £10 will save 3 penguins, it gives us, the donor, a greater connection with the good we do, rather than putting it into what otherwise may seem like an unknown unrewarding black hole. Charities want our money. Isn't it only fair that they should make these accountability promises, and then feed back on just how well they did against them? Won't this show the good and the bad charities by the deeds they do, as opposed to the words they say?  

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