1. When analyzing an investment in a company or charity, there are many factors that one has to take into consideration in order to make the best decision with their money. The leadership of an organization is very important, as weak leadership means a weak company. The size of a company is also very important, as a large company who has consistently proven itself would be a much safer investment than a smaller company that is susceptible to fail entirely. The funding of a company is another factor that is essential to consider, as without finances it is impossible for a company or charity to do anything. All of these factors are essential when considering investment in a company, and weakness in any one of these categories will greatly weaken the integrity and safety of one’s investment. A good way to make the best decision possible is to analyze a company or charity’s 990 tax form to determine the finances of the company and to do some in-depth research about the company and what their goals are.
2. Looking at the numbers of a company is essential to determining if they are a worthy investment, as without money a company will not be able to function. It is important to be able to tell how much money a company brings in, how much they actually put towards their cause, and how long they could last if they made no more money. Some charities may appear to be wonderful and perfect investments when doing basic research about the charity, but their finances could reveal that they are giving most of their donation money to their employees rather than to the causes they claim to support. This is why analyzing a 990 tax form is essential to determining the worth of a charity or company, as it reveals how they spend their money. I did not learn a lot of new information about the charities that I researched, as most of their tax forms matched very well with their goals and what I found in my research.
3. I learned how difficult it is to make the right decision when looking to donate large amounts of money to a charity. Before you can even consider which charity to donate to, you have to sift through many scam or fake charities which will take people’s money and not donate any of it to the causes they claim to support. It is then essential to perform in-depth research into every aspect of a charity to determine if they are a reasonable charity to donate to or not, and eventually it is possible to limit it down to a few charities which match your vision. MSP made me realize how much work charities do to try to make the world a better place, and showed me how many issues there are in the world that need more support to solve. Charities allow people to help solve worldwide issues without having to do much more than donate money, and without charities the world would be a much darker place
4. The two charities that I researched and analyzed were the Shriners Hospitals for Children and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. The Shriners Hospitals for Children pledges to help children affected by burns, cleft lip and palate, orthopaedic issues, and spinal cord injuries through excellent hospital care, groundbreaking research, and inspiring education. The Salk Institute for Biological Studies pledges to make groundbreaking research in many areas of the biological sciences such as neuroscience, immunology, and genetics. The Salk Institute is one of the top research institutions in the world in the biological sciences, and works diligently to improve the world through research into cures for many issues plaguing millions of people’s everyday lives. My mission was to improve the world through research into the biological sciences, and the Salk Institute’s philanthropic mission aligned more with my personal mission than the Shriners Hospitals for Children.
5. The charity that our team ultimately chose to donate all of our money to was the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. The Salk Institute’s mission aligned almost perfectly with our group’s mission, which was to improve the world through groundbreaking research into cures for medical issues which affect millions of people throughout the world. The most important factor in my group’s decision to pick the Salk Institute was ultimately its financial stability. All of the charities that my group researched seemed like reasonable charities to donate to, but the Salk Institute’s financial stability, along with its amazing philanthropic mission, were what caused our group to choose them as the best charity to donate to.
6. I hope that the Salk Institute will be able to use the money that our group donated to improve the world through their incredible research into issues such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, and even aging. None of these complex issues can be solved with a small amount of money, and I hope that our donation, combined with the generosity of others, will allow them to find cures to save and improve the lives of millions of people worldwide. In the future I would want to donate an even more sizable sum of money to the Salk Institute so that they can continue making incredible advances in the field of biological sciences, and one day I might even be able to work or volunteer there to help work towards a better future.

-Ryan Hobbib