moralityI dont want my money going to pay for bibles etc so as a good human who wants to help, who are the charities that are secular other than the Red Cross?
I give to Doctors Without Borders. They’re completely secular and they’re said to be very effective at turning your money into concrete help, with little overhead.
The James Randi Educational Foundation is another good one. http://www.randi.org/site/ They are actually holding a fund-raising campaign now and doubling contributions.
It really depends on what causes you want to support. The Freedom From Religion Foundation, Foundation Beyond Belief, and Donors Choose are all great places to start! Otherwise, there are generally local secular charities (humane societies, for example) that are happy to take your donations.
A long list of secular charities here:
http://techskeptic.blogspot.com/2007/12/atheist-charities.html
There's a good list on squidoo.com, here. Hope you find something in there you can donate to.
Instead of giving to charity you could take a look at microcredit loans. Kiva is a good example of this. Take a look at the Community link and list teams by amount donated. Look who's at the top!
It’s not really a charity, but a non profit organization: The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science.
Architects without Borders, they are not religious affiliated and just help development in problematic places, like Haiti.
It's a niche charity created by Penny Arcade and gamers everywhere, but Child's Play is flatly secular.
I’d avoid blanket charities if you wish to retain control over your money after giving it away. Perhaps some much narrower causes would suit you.
Netting Nations does nothing but negotiate low prices for mosquito nets in malaria stricken regions, then makes sure those nets get into the hands of people who need them. Their purpose is quite limited, so your money would likely go to purchasing a net.
Charity:Water wants to help make sure that everyone has potable water to drink
There are also numerous microfinance organizations that turn your gift of $100 into a viable business and a loan that is quickly repaid.
Also look in your own community. Do you have a food pantry that gives meals to the poor? I’m sure it could use some help. Does your police department have a youth outreach program? They may be able to use some money.
Also, don’t under value the gift of your time.
this Answer is directed to everyone, not just Atheists
I enjoyed reading How To Save the World, which gives some guidelines on how to give most effectively. Instead of just listing deserving causes, it also talks of working on your own rationality, to avoid some mental weaknesses we all have (EG: cognitive biases, attachment to specific causes).
Consider taking an active role. Buy some blankets and hand them out to the homeless in your area. Donate your time to a soup kitchen or shelter. Even if the group is religious, you don’t have to be to help them with something you agree with.
Look at givewell.org. It's a site that compares charities. Just because you're an atheist doesn't mean you have to give to an atheist charity; I'd rather just save lives in Africa or help to stop tuberculosis. $1000 saves one life from Malaria; why give it to Richard Dawkins?
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