I'm a strong advocate for direct, individual charity. Charity within your own community also has a pretty good chance of helping the people who actually need it. If I know someone who needs help, and I can help them I will. It doesn't have to be in money form all the time either that way. You can actually give them what they can use to help themselves. Plus if you know at least a few basic details about a person, you can pretty much tell if they will put the donation to good use or not. If I didn't have to pay so much in taxes, I would probably do more of that.

I only donate to charities in which I have a vested interest. Most notably, such charity goes to the purchase of equipment for my nanotech minor program. The students then repair the equipment and get first right to use it in our research.

I tend to give time to charitable organizations I want to see successful. That way I have a better understanding of how the organization works. I have always had a strict rule that I would not give to an organization that 1. bullies people into participating (United Way through employers) and 2. their overall administrative costs capped at no more than 15%. 3. no high profile spokesperson that is paid an outrageous stipend for their "honorary"

I have found that the welfare state I live in has destroyed my impulse toward charity. For many years I paid an extra tuition at the private school my children went to among other things. Today I look around and know there is a government "program" that I pay for to provide whatever people need.

I sponsor a child thru Children's International. To me, it is better to have private organizations helping rather than government. Less waste and better results. I find it very rewarding.