OzBargain 2015 Christmas Donations - $19,580 to Charities of Your Choice

Update 22 Dec 2015 #: Poll has finished. Thanks to everyone who has participated. Last year there were 258 unique commenters so I thought it might just be a bit more than that this year. Turn out I was wrong and the figure almost doubled. 458 users have commented on this thread, many simply posted "+$10". At the end of the day OzBargain will donate $19,580 to the top 4 charities from the poll:

  • Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders)
  • beyondblue
  • Cancer Council
  • RSPCA

They will receive $4,895 each. That will happen in the next couple of days when I get to move the funds around.


It's almost Christmas and OzBargain will donate $15,000 or more to charities of your choice. We have been running the biannually charity donation since 2012 where OzBargainers get to choose and vote for the charities that OzBargain will donate to. So for this year:

  • We'll take suggestion from commenters using this poll feature.
  • Donation amount will be $15,000 + $10 x number of unique commenters. So if 200 OzBargainers commented in this thread we will donate $17,000 to charities.
  • We'll pick the top 4 charities from their votes, and the donation will be evenly distributed. For example if $17,000 is the final donation amount, each charity will receive $4,250 in donation.

Timeline

This is the schedule for our donation event:

  • 15 Dec — start taking suggestions & votes
  • 21 Dec — voting closes
  • 24 Dec — donations made

Because we started late this year we'll take the suggestions and voting at the same time, unlike last year where we only allow voting after closing suggestions.

Suggestion Guidelines

To suggest a charity, put in the name of the charity or specific appeal fund in the suggestion text field right above the comment box (top-level comments only). Once you submitted the comment your suggestion will be added to the moderation queue. After moderator has approved your suggestion, it would then appear in the poll options.

Please also have the following included in the comments:

  • Link to the charity
  • Reasons why we should donate to this charity

As for which charity to suggest, have a look at our past donation polls (2014 Xmas, 2014 EoFY) also this discussion thread, Which Charity? I have to say that there were some not so suitable ones but I believe the majority of the community would be able to make sensible votes.

Poll Options expired

Comments

    • $10. Imagine if I got cash rewards from this as well!
  • Great initiative, proud to be a lurker on this site.

  • proud to part of this community! Good one scotty +$10

  • Suggested HammondCare Health and Hospitals

    HammondCare Health and Hospitals are part of HammondCare, an independent christian charity. It provides sub-acute health care for Rehabilitation, Palliative Care for the terminally ill and Mental Health Services for Older People. Although partly funded by NSW Ministry of Health, it relies heavily on community support to be able to provide vital services for people facing the most difficult times of life. Please help them to pursue their mission towards improving quality of life for those that need it most.
    Link: http://www.hammond.com.au/about/support

  • +$10, thanks ozbargain!

  • Isn't ALS the charity of 2015 lol lol lol

  • Fantastic work @scotty and the team at Ozbargain. +10!

  • +1

    well done ozbargain

  • I like Save the Children

  • Awesome event. I'm all for the doctors without borders program

  • Suggested Guide Dogs Australia

    Any chance we can include Guide Dog Australia?

    Mod: Approved, information:

    Guide Dogs Australia
    Guide Dogs Australia is a brand that represents Australia's six state-based Guide Dog organisations. Together, as the nation's leading providers of orientation and mobility services, including Guide Dogs, we assist people who are blind or have a vision impairment gain the freedom and independence to move safely and confidently around their communities, and to fulfil their potential.

  • +$10

  • For a great cause so how could I not comment

  • +1

    +1 donation; +1 for MSF!

  • Tough decision but I voted Cancer Council this year.

  • $10

  • +2

    Here's my +1 for BeyondBlue. Lost a friend to depression this year, so more support and battling the stigma of mental health issues is close to my heart.

  • awesome work ozbargain. Now donate another $10 for this comment ;o)

  • My vote is for Cancel Council. Good on you ozbargain!

  • +1

    Wonderful! Mental illness has been on my mind a lot this year <3

  • Thanks Scotty as always!

  • Keep up the good work, Scotty! +$10 to MCF.

  • Will it be donated to charities foundation or straight away to the people who really need it?

    There is a huge difference between 2

  • 10

  • Great work Scotty and OzB team!

    • +1

      I think you just made the 200th comment, yay! (I also add my congratulations for the site's spirit of giving)

  • Just gave $10 to Alzheimer's Australia. Or at least I think I did…

  • Thanks for your generosity again OzBargain, and for all the great deals!

  • Good job guys. Merry Christmas

  • +$10

  • +$10

  • Great ideas. Happy Christmas to all.

  • In the spirit of OzBargain, I have to go with Wikimedia Foundation

    Why? Almost anyone with an Internet connection can get heaps of (generally) useful stuff… for free :)

  • Nice!

  • +$10

  • Another $10. Thanks for all your hard work.

  • +$10!

  • Love your work OzBargain team!

  • +$10

  • Another +$10 here. Thanks

  • +1

    Voted for BeyongBlue
    Mental health issue cannot be udnerestimated
    I hope BeyondBlue can help the society so that people can treat this seriously, not to stigmatise it, and can talk about this as openly as if physical health issue

  • +1

    +1 for RSPCA. Top job guys!

  • +1

    So many good charities. +1 for RSPCA as well.

  • ty
    +$10

  • Thanks for the opportunity to vote on this - I went with MSF this year

  • SIDS and Kids

  • +1

    Awesome stuff!
    +1 for RSPCA

  • Well Done Ozbargain!! Good reminder for me to donate too :)

    +1 Fred Hollows foundation

  • great initiative!

  • wow this is great

  • $10

  • Go for The Fred Hollows Foundation, making a big difference in remote Australia.

  • Great idea!

  • +1

    beyondblue, $10 please & thanks!

  • Here's my $10. =)

  • Voted for Westmead Children's Hospital

  • Fifteen bucks, little man! Put that shi….. wait, it was $10 wasn't it? nevermind

  • $10

  • +$10!

  • +10, good work

  • +1

    +1 for beyondblue. Thanks guys!

  • +1

    Beyond blue gets my vote!

  • Incredibly generous once again Scotty!
    +1 for Cancer Council.

  • Great work, glad to be part of this community!

  • $10

  • +1

    +1 for RSPCA

  • Great idea. Voted for the best value Against Malaria Foundation.

  • Great work ozbargain!

  • +$10. Wish everybody a season of joy!

  • Done! Great cause.

  • +$10

  • i love pizza

    $10

  • Well done!

  • www.mealsonwheels.org.au

    Meals on Wheels is a name familiar to Australians and is at the heart of many communities. It represents helping hands, teamwork and looking out for each other. It is all about people in the community joining forces to help others. While age and disability may reduce some people's capacity to get out and about, Meals on Wheels helps make it possible to stay in their homes, where most are happiest, and maintain some independence. Delivery of nutritious meals, social interaction and regular visits ensure a clients’ wellbeing and can help people live the lives they choose.

  • Great work scotty and team. So many great causes! Well done. $10

  • Great initiative. Well done OZB.

  • Suggested Surfrider Foundation Australia

    http://www.surfrider.org.au/campaigns

    The Surfrider Foundation Australia is a grass roots organisation committed to the protection and enjoyment of the world's ocean, waves and beaches through a powerful activist network.

    We do a heap of things at the local level, if you live near the coast come join your local branch and see if you can get involved. It's a great way to meet other people and clean up the environment. Check out the link to see all the greats projects we are doing

  • +1

    +1 RSPCA

  • +1

    RSPCA. Think of the kittens and puppies!

  • This is great, good work guys.

  • +$10 and a vote for MsF.

    Great Stuff, OzBargain! :D

  • +$10

  • Count my 10 as well, good affort all the year and nice gesture at end is like icing on top.

    :) Good on you OzB!

  • Well done proud of you guys.
    +$10 for a valid good cause

  • +4
    Suggested Asylum Seeker Resource Centre

    This is a great initiative. I think the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre gets my vote. Still arriving in Australia, and there's stuff all support for them. Plus, they run a social enterprise which makes money, but also provides back to the community.

  • Suggested Bear Cottage

    Bear Cottage

    Bear Cottage is the only children’s hospice in NSW -
    a very special place that’s dedicated to caring for children with life-limiting conditions. Families who care for a child with a life-limiting condition often do so around the clock for many years. Our vision is to be as far removed from a hospital environment as possible. We're set up to provide excellence in paediatric palliative care 24 hours a day, and our affiliation to The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network means we have access to some of the best medical resources in the world.

  • Beyond Blue/Life line are wonderful organisations helping a silent killer.

  • Easiest $10 ever donated :-)

  • +1 for Autism Spectrum Australia

  • Suggested Australian Red Cross

    I nominate the Australian Red Cross.

    The Red Cross Red Crescent Movement helps tens of millions of people around the world each year and here at Australian Red Cross, we care for local communities in Australia and further afield.

    • $10

    Logged in just to post this to get the total up - great work OzBargain.

  • Awesome work Scotty!

  • Cancer council!

  • Voted

  • +10

  • +9
    Suggested Cure Brain Cancer Foundation

    I'm going to be a bit selfish on this, and suggest Cure Brain Cancer Foundation as a charity to donate to. I have a terminal brain tumor myself. My prognosis, at time of writing, is 1-4 years +/-. It's unlikely I'll live to 40 years old.

    The horror statistic is that for every 5 people diagnoses with a brain tumor, the 5 year survival rate for those people, four will be dead. And the fifth will be fifty fifty. It's the highest rate of mortality of all the malignant cancers.

    Every charity and every disease requires attention. The pain and suffering of any person, be it domestic violence or cerebal palsy or a refugee fleeing for safety or the work of a doctor without borders, cannot be compared. But for myself I have a finite amount of money and time, and so make that decision to raise awareness to something I'm acutely aware of and know whilst I have that ability.

    • +1

      All the best for your battle.

      Professor Charlie Teo's charity.

      Quite a bit of recent publicity about Carrie Bickmore's new initiative. Link for that and upcoming concert event: CarriesBeanies4BrainCancer

    • +1

      All the love to you bud:)

    • AZshade, I am very sorry to hear of your prognosis. There is a wonderful charity called The Orange Pigeon which provide special wishes & comforts giving moments of distraction for seriously ill adults in Australia. http://www.orangepigeon.org.au/

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