While Elyse is away this afternoon administering Tang to the needy, I’ll be hosting today’s Afternoon Inquisition. It’s my first AI, so be gentle.
Lately I’ve been mobilizing skeptics in my local area (glorious Columbus, Ohio) and we’ve been looking for a variety of volunteer opportunities. There’s a ton of faith-based initiatives around, which is great, but I’d like to get out there and help prove that we freethought-type people like to help others out, too. Which made me think about …
What’s your favorite nonprofit organization, and why? Skeptic-based or not, who do you think is fighting the good fight? If you don’t have a favorite, describe your ideal – what kind of organization do you see a need for that doesn’t yet exist?
I actually volunteer for Equality Arizona which is a non-profit fighting for LGBT equality. I love everyone involved, and they get a lot done. They focus on getting people involved in politics — they had a lobby day recently teaching people who to lobby to their representatives — and do a lot of good.
I am also highly looking forward to PRIDE. We’ll be selling margaritas. It’ll be a blast.
“they had a lobby day recently teaching people who to lobby to their representatives ”
How, not who! D’oh!
I support NORML, EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation), and EPIC (Electronic Privacy Information Center). I used to support the ACLU, but once they did that data-mining thing, they immediately lost my support.
It’s easy to say something like JREF, but the reality is that I can’t really narrow it down. There is a local shelter in Alexandria for the working homeless. A lot of school music programs are funded by donations because of government cutbacks. All the donation drives for various diseases are worthy causes too. I can’t decide.
I believe Bertrand Russell once said that devotion to all worthy causes is the moral equivalent of total apathy. The key is to pick one or two and do some good…and not get bent out of shape over the fact that other people will make a different choice.
There is no universal most important issue of our time or any singular Good Fight(tm). It’s a big pile of little fights…as with everything else in life.
I’m a huge fan of the microfunding organization http://www.kiva.org, because it’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Sort of like V.D.
@Janiece: Presumably with less itching.
Doctors without Borders. Great organization. We donate to them through payroll deductions.
Also, home health organizations, and hospices. Wonderful people. They made my mother’s dying at home as dignified and peaceful and easy as it could have been.
I would say Planned Parenthood, but that would kind of fuel the fire that atheists are heathens and want to “kill babies.” It really is an excellent organization though, as long as you’re not one of those “teach abstinence only” jerks.
Aside from that it would be really cool to help out at a soup kitchen, volunteer at an animal shelter or at a battered women and children shelter or simply find an organization who pretties things up in the area by planting trees and flowers. Skeptics saving the world!
Also, I think that the idea in general is excellent and it inspires me to get the Philly skeptics back into gear for meetings and possibly something like that as well.
I can’t say I’m terribly familiar with the non-profit scene, although I suppose I (theoretically if not monetarily) support anyone dedicated to civil liberties and/or rationalism : Freedom From Religion, Electronic Freedom Foundation, JREF, etc.
I will say, however, that my opinion on many non-profits has been lowered because I work in an area frequently canvassed by people selling charities on the street. There’s nothing that will ruin my image of you more than bothering me three times a day about whales or children or whatever and NOT LETTING IT GO when I say no thanks.
I often feel like reenacting the scene in Airplane where Robert Stack beats up all of the various religious panhandlers in the airport.
Some of my preferred charities:
Planned Parenthood (http://www.plannedparenthood.org/)
the local Humane Society at Lollypop Farm (http://lollypop.org/)
Human Rights Campaign (http://www.hrc.org/)
WXXI Public Broadcasting Council (http://wxxi.org/)
Alan Guttmacher Institute (http://guttmacher.org/)
Victory Junction Gang Camp (http://victoryjunction.org/)
OH! Just thought of another fantastic one. The Vermont Youth Conservation Corps. WONDERFUL group doing fabulous work.
I like the Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports.
I see the greatest benefit of skepticism as being consumer advocacy.
In no order:
Cato
Reason Foundation
Institute for Justice
The one that doesn’t exist but needs to is a counter to the neo-prohibitionists of MADD and Robert Woods Johnson Foundation.