only about 7% of donated eyeglasses can be refitted to a charity's recipient.

donated blood spoils in 42 days. because of this, much of the blood that is donated following a major disaster is sold or discarded, simply because the supply is too much to deal with in that small amount of time. it is better to regularly give blood than to give only when there is a disaster.

60% of all physical donations (food, water, toys, etc.) after a disaster end up in a landfill, and never reach their intended recipients. the reason? there are just too many for aid workers to deal with, and most don't address immediate needs on the ground.

the lesson: if you want to help, send money.

after 20 children were murdered in the sandy hook school shootings, concerned people across the country sent 67,000 stuffed animals to the survivors.

because aid organizations have no way to deal with redistributing 67,000 stuffed animals, and a house can contain only so many teddy bears, most wound up in a landfill. the same thing happened with donations of toys to children in haiti following a recent earthquake - so many piled up on the tarmac at the airports that there was literally no room for planes carrying supplies and medicine to land.

the lesson: send money.

together, the cancer fund of america, children's cancer fund of america, cancer support services, and the breast cancer society took in us$187 million and spent less than 3% of that on anything to do with cancer. the bulk is spent on pr and huge salaries and for the organizations' executives and other employees. the defeat diabetes foundation spent 0% on anything to do with diabetes care or research. for more information about how to choose a charity that is actually a real charity, go here: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0011-charity-scams

70% of americans give to charity. they typically give 3% of their income.

dolly parton created a foundation that will mail a free, age-appropriate book to a child every month from birth to age 5.

when he became apple ceo the 2nd time around, steve jobs eliminated all of apple's corporate philanthropy programs.

according to u.s. philanthropy data, jews give more often to charity than any other faith, give larger amounts, and give a higher percentage to non-sectarian charities.

to date, bill gates has donated more than us$28 billion to charity.

john f. kennedy donated his salary as a senator and later as president to charity.

if you live in the u.s., 90% of the clothes that you donate are sold to textile recyclers. the recyclers resell some of your clothing in africa.

many nonprofit organizations make - and keep - a lot of your money. the ceo of susan g. komen for the cure, for example, makes more than us$600,000 per year.

70% of americans give to at least one charity each year. the amount is typically 3% of their total household income. the main recipient: religious institution (33.3%).

during the great depression, gangster al capone started one of the first american soup kitchens for the unemployed.

tangelo park, florida used to have a high crime rate and a 25% high school graduation rate. in 1993, self-made millionaire harris rosen decided to change that. he provided the residents with free daycare and full-ride scholarships to any students accepted at a florida state college. as a result, the crime rate is half what it was, and the graduation rate is now 100%.