Where To Send Clothes For Philippine Charity

[Jollygoodfellow]

Would it be an option to give it to the salvos or someone in Aus and then donate the money you were going to have to spend on posting the boxes to which ever charity you see fit. In a way the freight cost is wasted.Depending on how much there is you maybe able to take it as extra baggage?

[Tatoosh]

Good point, but shipping it over does a couple of things. The cargo ship very likely has a Filipino crew that aren't impoverished because people ship stuff. Second the stuff that is handed out is from "overseas" which adds prestige to the largess. For the one's receiving the goods. Not a major factor, but since the poor don't get to strut their stuff all that much, visiting the market in some nice foreign clothing or showing it off to the sister, tita or neighbor is like icing on a cupcake.

[Jollygoodfellow]

Good point, but shipping it over does a couple of things. The cargo ship very likely has a Filipino crew that aren't impoverished because people ship stuff. Second the stuff that is handed out is from "overseas" which adds prestige to the largess. For the one's receiving the goods. Not a major factor, but since the poor don't get to strut their stuff all that much, visiting the market in some nice foreign clothing or showing it off to the sister, tita or neighbor is like icing on a cupcake.

True but money can buy medical supply's and food where clothes are not hard to come by.

[JJReyes]

But if you pay shipping, I can see that all clothes are GIVEN away to poor squatters and not sold and can post some pics to prove it. Shipping here is: Pam Valenzuela 410 Purok 9 Canlapwas, Catbalogan Samar, Phils, 6700 0929 756 6865

Over the years, I have shipped balikbayan boxes to charitable organizations and public schools in the Philippines. My problem is no one acknowledges receiving them. I am not looking for a "Thank You." I just want to make sure they got the box. One school principal I telephoned sounded annoyed. Then two teachers from the school emailed asking me to gift them with laptops. It was not for the students. The laptops were for them!Pan Valenzuela is the first to acknowledge the shipment of Mp4 players embedded with our company's "Easy English Learning" digital content. I would vouch for Bruce and his 501 © (3) non-profit.Would it be more effective to send the shipping money ($50 for Metro Manila, $65 for Samar) they charge for a balikbayan box from Honolulu? I could simply donate the clothes to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. What happens is all donations are sorted and the better items are re-sold in their retail store. About 80% of donations are stuffed in boxes that are auctioned to dealers for the "ukay-ukay" stores in the Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Vietnam, etc. For me, it sounds more like a business than a charity. Goodwill and the Salvation Army are actually good organizations. We use to donate money to the American Red Cross until they published an article on how much the officers are paid. Elizabeth Dole, wife of Senator Bob Dole, was receiving at the time around $350,000 plus benefits. United Way was a well publicized scandal. The chief executive was paying himself a salary over $1 million; traveling around in an executive jet; and staying in luxury hotels. His downfall was buying his mistresses luxury condominiums and paying them salaries for their "work" with the charity's money.

[Jollygoodfellow]

Would it be more effective to send the shipping money ($50 for Metro Manila, $65 for Samar) they charge for a balikbayan box from Honolulu?

For Bundy to send each box I think it is about $110 from Brisbane Australia so if he sends two then that's is $220,he could buy out the whole ukay store and distribute it plus have enough left over to feed a couple of kids.

[Tatoosh]

The hundred dollars would do some good work to be sure. My problem with sending money is that it is even less likely to end up where you intend it to go. I've heard similar complaints to JJR's comments from other expats. There often does not seem to be much acknowledgement of gifts and it can engender more requests of dubious intent. None the less, I have very serious doubts about gifting money and I am a bit hard pressed to say exactly why. Not from the idea itself. I have donated many times to various agencies, Kiva in particular. Like JJR, I quit giving to charities that have high overheads and larger salaries for their officers. And I am must less trustful of the charities in the Philippines than I am in the USA. For me the idea of giving goods that are not as easily diverted as cash, though they can be too, seems like a good solution. And if the cash was going to pay medical or whatever, then it is a great idea. But for some people, it goes to far from the intention, instead ending up buying a weeks worth of Tanduay or Ginebra. As for selling and handing the money out to needy families in your area, that is a formula to become seen as the "banco de kano" as word spreads. So, if I KNEW the money was going to be used well, I'd go with JGF's idea but through someone else, not directly from me. If not, I'd go for shipping clothes to distributed upon arrival or given to a worthwhile charity.Also, for Ron Rae, I know his lifestyle and it is not lavish. He lives in a nice small apartment, not some large expensive place full of high end stuff. Oh, he's not a monk, don't get me wrong. It is a nice place with some comforts. But nothing that set off alarm bells for me. And he mentioned that he's seen that people get thanked for their gifts. Something I didn't really reflect upon until I read JJR's comments.

[Bruce]

The hundred dollars would do some good work to be sure. My problem with sending money is that it is even less likely to end up where you intend it to go. I've heard similar complaints to JJR's comments from other expats. There often does not seem to be much acknowledgement of gifts and it can engender more requests of dubious intent. None the less, I have very serious doubts about gifting money and I am a bit hard pressed to say exactly why. Not from the idea itself. I have donated many times to various agencies, Kiva in particular.Like JJR, I quit giving to charities that have high overheads and larger salaries for their officers. And I am must less trustful of the charities in the Philippines than I am in the USA. For me the idea of giving goods that are not as easily diverted as cash, though they can be too, seems like a good solution. And if the cash was going to pay medical or whatever, then it is a great idea. But for some people, it goes to far from the intention, instead ending up buying a weeks worth of Tanduay or Ginebra. As for selling and handing the money out to needy families in your area, that is a formula to become seen as the "banco de kano" as word spreads.So, if I KNEW the money was going to be used well, I'd go with JGF's idea but through someone else, not directly from me. If not, I'd go for shipping clothes to distributed upon arrival or given to a worthwhile charity.Also, for Ron Rae, I know his lifestyle and it is not lavish. He lives in a nice small apartment, not some large expensive place full of high end stuff. Oh, he's not a monk, don't get me wrong. It is a nice place with some comforts. But nothing that set off alarm bells for me. And he mentioned that he's seen that people get thanked for their gifts. Something I didn't really reflect upon until I read JJR's comments.

Well Tat, I propose a TEST! Yes a test....... you are in the USA, I have an IRS approved charity... You donate to my charity and tell me where you want the money to go (schooling, food, medical, family support) if you have a preferrence. I will see to it your money is correctly applied and then send you pics to prove it. Along with a receipt for your accountant. Once you see that I do what I say I am doing... you can donate all you want, as often as you want, same conditions apply. Spread the word! I take no salary, I pay my own tickets. Can't make it any easier than that. :mocking:

[JJReyes]

Last time we gave a cash donation was for the victims of the Japanese earthquake/tsunami. We checked out the organization Americare and their profile fits what we were seeking (i.e., low administrative overhead). They promised not to share our address with other charitable organizations, but we did not expect to be constanly bombarded by additional solicitation. The mailers come from a professional fund raising group that takes a large percentage of any additional donations they can extract from previous donors. The waste in paper and postage is annoying. I had made it clear to their call center that ours was a one time gift.We use to give small amounts of cash to a pastor who had a "peanut butter ministry." He purchased two days old bread and jars of peanut butter to feed hungry families and the homeless. After he and his wife passed away, others took over his popular ministry. The new stationery soliciting donations has an impressive list of politicians and businessmen. My wife and I stopped donating cash. Instead, we would go to Costco and purchase $100 to $200 worth of pasta, gallon cans of spaghetti sauce and parmesan cheese. I would deliver the purchases to their soup kitchen and the donated food should be enough for one meal. Our plans for the Philippines is somewhat similar. Just like Bruce, if we stumble upon a child in need and who would like to go to school, we would donate $100 a year for books, uniforms, school fees, etc. The reason for the two balikbayan boxes to Samar instead of sending money is the items to be sent would end up in a landfill. They still have good value. One of them is Dell flat color screen. My wife, son and I have three desktops and three laptops. I was saving the extra screen just in case one went kaput. In the meantime, technology has switched to eTablets. Our son bought one, but I don't like the Apple iPad. We are waiting for a good quality, large screen tablet using the Android program. Then the plan is ship the six computers in balikbayan boxes to the Philippines. They should have another 5 years of use.

[Tatoosh]

Bruce, I'm sorry if you thought I was referencing you and your charity in any way. That was never my intention. My comments about Philippine charities were primarily run by Filipinos. JJR's comments, however, demonstrated that even in the USA, greed often reigns over good works. (See edit notes) Oops, wandering off topic here. As for the proposed test, sorry, but I must decline. My discretionary funds were, for the most part, gone a long time ago. Now, my "charity" is my family. I've sent two brothers-in-law through college and am helping my wife get her Masters. Kiva and you must wait, I fear, for some time to come.JJR, you sorted that one out very well. And seeing your used computer gear going to a worthwhile endeavor is a great idea, if it can be done. I would, ideally, donate to a school, but then you have to wonder if the computers end up in the home of a teacher or principal, not in a classroom for all to benefit from. Accountability is just so hard to come by, to heck with gratitude. The food idea is a perfect solution to seeing the gift goes where you want and to the people that need it.

Edited February 27, 2012 by Dave Hounddriver
Religious pundits are not permitted a rebuttal and thus part of your statement was deleted

[Bruce]

I am not offended. If you sleep with pigs... expect to get muddy. Since I have a charity, I too am painted with that same wide brush of SCAM! I accept it.My real issue is that 1 on 1, I can compete for that $$$ IF I can only get the message out that I spend what comes in on the stated purpose. No professional fund raisers and no salaries.... As long as the potential doner is not refusing to donate 'outside' their own country, I can present a compelling reason to donate to my charity instead of the big money generating cash machines....