Charity

Its that time of year when people are all feeling altruistic and in gratitude for what they have, many people donate to charity.

We all recognize that man or woman in front of our nearby box store who stands just outside the exit door, dressed in red with the bucket on the shepherds hook and ringing the hand-bell, as they collect for the Salvation Army.  Your supermarket cashier asks if you would like to donate a dollar to muscular dystrophy, or the annual Jerry Lewis marathon runs asking for contributions to Multiple Sclerosis Research.

Christmas time, more than any other time of year, is the time in which we see a big push for charitable donations.

Throughout the year, Natural disasters, result in impromptu pushes and campaigns, but they are in and out and on to the next. We see commercials to stop animal cruelty, and childhood hunger in foreign countries. But the holiday charity request, touches something in most people at the time of year when we are all feeling most giving, and generous.

At the Oregonian we have an annual campaign for charity registered appropriately as a non-profit entity, which we refer to as the "Season of Sharing". The season of sharing, though housed and staffed by Oregonian employees, is not the Oregonian. The amazing thing about SOS is that 91.3 cents of every dollar goes directly to the charities and organizations which most need our help.  The Organizations sponsored every year are selected by committee and must meet very specific guidelines. They must demonstrate a need for assistance, and they must demonstrate a commitment to managing overhead costs in order to maximize the delivery of service to their cause.  In addition to helping 25 + individual organizations who touch our community directly, we also do a Christmas Stocking Program which delivers the gift of Christmas to nearly 15,000 underprivileged children each year with a special Christmas Stocking filled with goodies from Santa.

I am touched and overwhelmed with emotion at the generosity of people even in times of economic uncertainty. As the staff member responsible for fiscal accounting and contribution database management, I see every day the kindness of others.

I've done my research, and I am willing to admit that I am a bit weary of giving to large charities like the red cross and others that advertise nationally. The idea of less than 3 cents of every dollar actually benefiting the cause is reprehensible.  The overhead cost for program management, advertising, and staff is atrocious. If they are truly a charity then perhaps they should house their organization in a company like we do here at the Oregonian, where staff time to the seasonal campaign is part of our normal job scope, and the charity doesn't have to pay for our efforts and involvement. Isn't that what charity is all about? Is it really charity of you have to pay me to do the work?

I love that we can say of the $313 thousand + dollars we raised last year that more than $289 thousand went directly to distributions. A small amount went to overhead cost like postage and materials for the stockings, and a small amount stayed in the account for the initial cost of the next years campaign.

If your interested in donating to a charity that gets it done and maximizes its contributors impact on the community, I might recommend the Season of Sharing. You can mail donations if your interested to the following address:

Season of Sharing, The Oregonian, 1320 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97216

Checks should be made out to "Season of Sharing" or you can make donations via credit card at https://secure.oregonian.com/sos/

To see profiles in our WishBook for this years recipients go to  http://www.oregonlive.com/special/sharing/