Diversifying your donations - How do you work it?

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I'm fortunate enough to have a job and some disposable income, so I can give a little money to a few different causes. I look at asset allocations a lot because I work in finance. So lately I have been doing pie-charts of my charitable donation allocations, and from 12/31/2002 to date, this is how it has been working. I would appreciate any comments or suggestions on how I could make my giving more "impactful," if you will, toward the goal of a better community, state, country. And how do you all work this?

planned parenthood (columbia/willamette) - 29%
ACLU - 12%
moveon.org - 24%
johnkerry.com - 18%
Cascade Aids Project - 12%
Oregon Food Bank - 6%

Comments

The planned parenthood c/w is auto-deducted from my paycheck each month. I will keep that where it is.
I have started shifting some of my previous moveon.org money to johnkerry.com since he became the presumptive nominee and 527s have come under attack, though I will still pony up for the moveon voter fund, an unquestionably legal 527.

I haven't included things like art museum memberships or stuff like that.

Do I have an appropriate charitable giving allocation? How would you rebalance this portfolio?

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1. p.s. that doesn't add up to exactly 100% because of rounding

lo siento mucho.

[catzies]

2. I like your approach. I do mine the same way being in finance too.

Those must be rounded-up numbers because I get 101% :P

Me personally, I haven't given anything to the presumptive party nominee, or the DNC or the DLC. Instead, I give hard dollars to local candidates (school boards, city councils, etc.).

The only suggestion I would make is the one you said you're keeping (PP). If it were me, I'd reduce it just a wee bit and give that money to pro-choice candidates directly. But of course, you can't write that off as charitable giving. I only mentioned it because it's your highest percentage allocation. I don't see how the johnkerry.com can be charitable; maybe that's where you could keep the % your're contributing the same, but spread it out amongst a few other people locally.

I attend a lot of local candidate events, fundraisers, etc. and believe me it's very gratifying when you put a check directly into that candidate's hands and they thank you personally. It also gives me a nice feeling when I'm in the voting booth and putting an X next to someone's name and think, "I met her, she's great and my money will her her win."

Just my $0.02

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3. Thanks. Good suggestions.

I use the term "charitable" very loosely, obviously.

Point well taken re: local candidates. My city, county, and state candidates don't have much problem winning, but you're right: we want to keep that so.

Might look at DNCC or something, I guess. Or give directly to rep and sen candidates as suggested on this board.

Many thanks.

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4. Have you taken that method and applied it to your media/communications

expenses? When I did, I realized what a consumer I was of information.

Magazine subscriptions, NPR & PBS donations, cable bill, listen.com, my ISP, Buzzflash/DU/Bartcop...

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5. That's a tasty idea

I have done some time-allocation charts for the way I have been spending my life. That always leads to some attempts at rebalancing..