Why do charities not co-operate for the needy?

Question

Every holiday there is apeal after apeal for more donations to help the needy...yet the same charities also complain that the donations are not enough. With so many charities working hard during the holidays...why don't they all work together and combine their sources and needs to make sure everyone is helped?

It's almost like a contest to see who does better.

Answer 1

Their are many different needs in the world and it take many people to meet those needs. Some charities offer food others clothes, some offer housing..... the list goes on and on. there are small charities that help on a community level and large one that help at a state and national level. In the end they all are working together to meet the need the world has. When there is a emergency such as the floods or the fires in CA many charities work hand in hand helping people

Answer 2

Good point

Answer 3

I've asked myself and the pwers that be in the nonprofit sector for the past ten years.  It all comes down to the fact that as funding for programs dries up, the programs HAVE to compete with each other to make themselves look worthier for the funding that is left.  Many programs are literally fighting each other for their very survival.  Some programs do try to band together and help, but in the end, funders want to go with the agency that can say they helped the most people, and if two agencies help the same person with the same issue, only one agency can claim credit for that person in their reports.  Sounds crazy, right?  That's been the problem for almost eight years now, hopefully, when we elect our next president, it will be a person who has a committment to seeing that these agencies get enough funding to really help people and to make working together less of an epic struggle than it currently is.  I will say, though, that, at least in cleveland, I've seen more collaboration recently.  Part of that comes from the fact that a lot of us have been job hopping, so when we get to our next agency, we still have connections at our old agencies.  At this point, people are really getting to know each other and about each other's programming so that, even if it's unoffcial, people are getting helped.  Also, with their being less money to go around, the people who were just trying to get paid are being weeded out for idiots like me who care more about helping poeple than having enough money to live well on, so folks are going more out of their way to make sure that the job gets done.

Answer 4

It does seem like their are in a contest with each other.  In my state a non profit can turn in a list to the local salvation army to check into a database so that the Salvation Army, Community Action Agency, Eagle Ridge and many other non profits are not helping the same family!  

Plus when these agencies write grants for Federal funds they can list the number of families they helped, how much they raised, along with many other match funds.