Hello,

To the person who wishes to donate:

I think if you are about to lose your job...YOU are the one who needs
to take in money. Take care of yourself first. Please.

Or if you have some items to send off to a raffle, this is a great way
to help. Volunteer at a local shelter. Donate blankets you no longer
use to them for their cats and dogs.

I have been out of work a total of 6 months in the last 12. I wish I
could donate money. But I have run up medical bills, business bills,
etc. But I felt as you did. You really want to help ferret shelter moms
and dads. So I sent off a few boxes of lovely ferret items that I am
crazy about to an offline raffle. It was $25 just for shipping. THAT
is a lot of money to me right now. The items are one of a kind, and
irreplaceable. One is a ferret gambling with a mouse on an acrylic
base. I totally adore that one.

I donated to Wind and Willow. They were not having the raffle until
April, so I had time to wrap everything up, find boxes, and ship. I
hope that they are successful in their raffle. Maybe you could ask
here about doing something like that.

That said, if you are still insistent on donating money, your best bet
is to donate to SOS, in my opinion. It is a tax deduction if you go
through them. SOS stands for Save our Shelters. They will have some
idea as to who is legitimate and who needs money.

I know the disappointment of donating to people who ...I discover after
a large donation...go on a cruise, or pay for air faire and hotel,
drinks, and excursions, or go to a distant land on a very pricey
vacation that I cannot afford to go to after so much waste on a
critical rescue (despite the best efforts of others)....I have truly
believed in a cause and donated my entire yearly vacation fund 3 times
now..

I don't think that anything is fool proof. But if you are not familiar
with the shelter, I find SOS to be the safest way to go. Just my
opinion based on my years of experience. Perhaps others will offer
thoughts that seem more appealing.

Best wishes,
Lisette

[Posted in FML 7015]