- I have learned many things about the various ways to evaluate an investment in a company. I learned that there is a lot that goes into it. I always just assumed you would research the company and its values and see if it’s worth investing in. I have learned that you have to analyze many aspects, whether it is how it is run or understanding their numbers.
- It is important to look at the numbers before making an investment because you need to see how much money the company is able to raise themselves, how the profits are used, how long the company can continue, and more. I learned that looking at the tax forms, some charities use a lot of their money on employment or advertising rather than putting the profits towards the real cause. The most interesting thing to me was the life expectancy of the company, that formula showed how long the charity/company will be able to survive. It is helpful because you might not want to invest in a company that is about to go under, or the opposite you want the company to be successful so you support them. The form 990 was extremely helpful when you learn how to analyze and understand it; making sure the company/charity’s money goes in the right places.
- I have learned that you should really do your research before you give away money. You need to find companies/charities that truly reflect your values and go to the cause you want to support. You also have to check to make sure your money is going into the right and valid places. This project has impacted the way I look at charities, I always assumed that nonprofit charities truly put every cent donated into the support of their causes. Now I have learned that some charities put more money to employment and for internal perks (for example the charity that had members stay in luxurious hotel). There are charity scams that are on a larger level than many might think.
- The organizations I chose to research were Father Joe’s Villages and Mama’s Kitchen. Father Joe’s Villages mission was to “provide housing, rental assistance, healthcare, food, clothing, education, job training, mental health, addiction treatment and child development in an internationally modeled “one-stop-shop” approach,” and Mama’s Kitchen’s mission statement was that “everyone is entitled to the basic necessity of life — nutritious food. Our nutrition services improve the lives of women, men, and children vulnerable to hunger due to HIV, cancer, or other critical illnesses.” My group, Feed the Need’s, mission statement is: “To provide food to people in need, advocate for the hungry, and educate the public about hunger-related issues.” They aligned in that they both contributed to feeding and educating the hungry in the San Diego area.
- We chose Feeding San Diego because it is local, has great resources, has a lot of connections, part of a larger organization, has lots of opportunity for volunteering by regular citizens, and offers nutritious food to those in need of it. It was also the charity that scored the best overall score in our analysis.
- I hope that our donation goes to the actual purchase of meals for hungry members of the program. It only takes a couple cents to buy a whole meal so I hope that it feeds a lot of people. In the future I would like to visit this organization ( I was unable to attend the visit) and possibly volunteer as well as donate some of my own money.
MSPositivity
May 23, 2018 by Leave a Comment
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