Buy someone a camel for christmas!

[fosin]

The World Vision Holiday Catalog is ready and waiting. They let you pick out a gift for the poor and they will deliver it to someone in need.

http://www.worldvisiongifts.org
(their site is experiencing heavy traffic, so keep trying)

"What began as one man's vision of a world without hunger, disease and hopelessness has grown into the world's largest privately funded Christian international relief and development agency. World Vision helps transform the lives of children and families in need in the United States and around the world. Our assistance extends to all people, regardless of religious beliefs, gender, or ethnic background.

Help An Afghan Family Grow Food
Your loved one will be delighted to know that they have helped provide for a hungry Afghan family. The family will receive the seeds and training they need to grow nutrient-rich vegetables... $10

Survival Kit
Your gift of $30 will provide widows and children in desperate need with a kit containing a blanket, a hoe, and a health card granting free care at clinics and hospitals... $30

Goat
Provide a poor household with a goat for nutritious milk, cheese, butter, yogurt - and added income at the local market. Our #1 best-seller every year!... $50

Camel
Imagine the delight of your loved one knowing that you have helped provide a camel to a family in need...$350 ($50 for a single share)

Warm Blanket
Wrap an impoverished child in a soft, cozy blanket for warmth, security, and a peaceful night's rest... $14

Clothe a Homeless American Child
Your gift of $25 will distribute $250 worth of brand-new, top quality donated sweaters, coats, mittens, and other clothing to children in need. more...$25

Vitamin A for 240 Children & Mothers
Blindness, diarrheal diseases, measles, and pneumonia needlessly afflict children simply because of vitamin A deficiencies in their diets. Vitamin A capsules and syrup are so inexpensive that just $25 can protect 240 children and new mothers in Asia from these ailments."

[J-Excel]

Any idea what percentage of the donation goes to the recipient? I can't find it on their site, just a statement that some of the donation goes to administrative costs. I usually look for that before making any kind of a donation.

[fosin]

The amount is different depending on the item and area.

The company total for spending for last year:
During fiscal 2001, our expenditures totalled $527.6 million. These funds were disbursed as follows: 84.1% was invested directly in international and domestic program services; 10.5% for fund-raising efforts; and 5.4% for management and operations support.

[J-Excel]

That's not bad at all.

[Theophylact]

Here's a similar charity: Heifer Project International. (I give to this one.)

According to the catalog for the Combined Federal Campaign, their administrative and fundraising costs are 23.6% of their overall expenditures. That's a little high for an organization whose main work is not education or lobbying, but not out of line; the cutoff of reasonableness is about 25%.