>> I give money to Jewish Charities and was wondering how much of it goes to the board members.
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>My mother was widowed in the middle of the depression when I was 7 years old.
>Without the help of Catholic charities and the American Legion (my father was a vet) and lot of help from federal welfare agencies my brother and I would never have made it.
>I regularly support Catholic charities and the American Legion and advocate for people needing federal assistance to make ends meet.
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>There can be corruption in any organization and it's a good idea to look before contributing.
IIRC, the main mechanism for syphoning off the money was to have one's own private charity or non-profit, and then have it buy stuff and services from your regular business at outrageous prices. Staff it with your mistress, cousin etc. The money stays in the family, mostly tax-free.