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]