When the going gets tough, people wake up and remember to give to charities. However it is also the time when charities pop up out of the woodwork. Whether they be legitimate charities, conjured up by publicity hungry celebrities, or started by some shark who is just trying to raise some money for his liquor fund, it’s important to do your homework. Give.org is the website of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance.

The BBB Wise Giving Alliance collects and distributes information on hundreds of nonprofit organizations that solicit nationally or have national or international program services. It routinely asks such organizations for information about their programs, governance, fund raising practices, and finances when the charities have been the subject of inquiries.

It’s a great source for information on many charities that are out there. They break down program expenses complete with a pie chart that shows the amount of money that actually makes it to the cause without getting gobbled up by administrative costs and marketing.

For example, this is a break down of the American Red Cross:

Programs

For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2004, the Red Cross’ program expenses were:

• Biomedical 2,133,382,000
• Domestic disaster 261,651,000
• Health and safety 216,265,000
• Community services 135,498,000
• Armed forces 60,896,000
• International 54,963,000
• Liberty Disaster Relief - 9/11 response 52,101,000
• Total Program Expenses: $2,914,756,000

Governance

Chief Executive Officer: Marsha Johnson Evans , President and Chief Executive Officer
Compensation*: $468,599
*July 1, 2003 - June 30, 2004; compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.

Programs: 91% Fund Raising: 3% Administrative: 5%

Now that’s handy! Personally, I wouldn’t settle for less than 90% of my donation hitting the mark. If you take a gander at Dogs Against Drugs/Dogs Against Crime (not that anyone would really be looking to donate to that right now), you’ll see that 84% of their funds goes toward fund raising and a measly 14% goes toward program expenses. It’s also nice to note the executive salaries. The highest paid executive of the Boy Scouts of America makes $1,525,473, whereas the CEO of the Ronald McDonald House Charities makes $0.

If you’re going to give, do some research and make sure you can make the largest impact possible.

My wife, Maria, has been slaving tirelessly for the last few weeks to generate 50+ plush… things that she could take to the Wood Street Gallery’s Holiday Market in Chicago. She was biting her nails, hoping that the customers would be appreciative.

Entering the commercial market is never easy. There is always the fear that the supply will far outweigh the demand. There are worries about marketing, design, word-of-mouth, shipping, taxes, and a myriad of other things. This moat of commerce can get to be a bit of a downer, but its worth it when it orbits a little squishy, soft, painfully goofy looking, plush Blobby.

The Blobbies originated when Maria needed a baby shower gift, but didn’t want to give something that would likely end up a duplicate. So she took one of my little doodles from my Sunday sketchbook and fleshed it out in fleece and terry cloth. The Blobbies were born.

Since then, the response from friends, and friends-of-friends has been positive. But they’re friends. Friends are supposed to be positive. So going to a public market and launching an “official” site was a little daunting for Maria. But response at the market was positive and sales were brisk.

So this is my “unbiased” plug to go check out my wife’s website, let her know what you think, buy something if the notion strikes you (don’t be caught the day before Christmas Blobby-less), and tell your friends and family. They may like Blobbies too.

End plug.

So, I was perusing StarWars.com (don’t ask, just assume it was for perfectly cool, hip, and un-nerdy reasons) when I happened upon a page sporting this ad:

At least their ads are reaching a lot of bachelors, but I wonder if their targets ever exit bachelorhood gracefully or in any other way.

Update 06.29.05: Here is another fine example of StarWars.com’s fine tuned ad sales department. Nerds are such easy marketing targets.

If you haven’t moseyed over to my wife’s site in a few days, you should hop on over there to see the new…um, things she’s making. They’re hilarious. Here’s a teaser:

   

Pretty catchy, eh? Memorize this name, for it will soon be taking over a world near you.

Name generated by The Cyborg Name Generator.

P.S. I’ve been visiting way too many name generators lately. Someone stop me.

I found this in my studio in Columbus. I believe it was a flyer for some club in Pittsburgh.

While cleaning out the house in preparation for our big move to Chicago, I felt the need to document this picture in case it got lost in the move. I clipped this out of a local newspaper a few months ago. The best part is that the picture of Cathleen and the caption really had nothing to do with the article they accompanied.