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THE CHRONICLE OF PHILANTHROPY Reprbtetl wNh pertnlenbn o1The Chronble of Phiknlhropy The Newspaper of the Non-Profk World Vol. VII, No. 5 • Decamear 13, 1884 • $4 The Charities Americans Like Most-and Least By VtNCESTEHLE AMEwcnras AItE canzv about MADD. • Many organizations that drew significant Mothers Against Drunk Driving is ~ ~ • - opposition also had strong support. For ex- themost popular nonprofit cause in ample, 36 percent supported the N.R.A. and the United States, well liked by 51 percent of i. Special Olympics 73.09 28 percent backed the Billy Graham Evange- Americans, according to a Chronicle poll. listic Association, the two groups that had the Ronald McDonald Houses, which helps 2. Girl Scou 64.6 most opponents. Neither group responded to pazen[s of seriously ill children, are close be- The Chronicle's inquiries regarding the sur- hind, rating high with 50 percent of [he re- 3. Mothers Again vey results. sponden[s. Next aze the American Red Cross Driving 64.0 • An organization's integrity had a big in- (48percent), the Salvation Army (47 percent), fluence on whether it won favor. The Billy and the American Hear[ Association (45 4. Boy Scouts 63.7 Graham organization was not only [he most percent). unpopulaz group but also first among those The groups that drew the most opposition: 5. Ronald McDonald House 63.1 that Americans said lacked credibility. The the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association American Civil Liberties Union and the Na- and the National Rifle Association, each of 6. Salvation Army 60.9 tionalRifleAssociationwerenextontheleast- which had negative ratings from 32 percent credible list. of the people polled. 7. American Cancer Society 60.3 The poll results were based on responses The Chronicle survey was conducted by 8. Shriners Hospitals for from 1,479 people and have a sampling error Nye Lavalle & Associates, a Dallas market- Crippled Children 59.7 of about 2 percentage points. Respondents ing cbmpany, were asked to rank 96 organizations and Among the key findings: g, American Heart Association 59.6 causes on several scales designed to show • Health charities were a favorite of Ameri- emotional and financial commitment. cans. Nine of the 20 best-liked charities fo- 10. American Red Cross 56.9 cus on disease prevention and other Views of Men and Women health issues. 11. American Association The survey found that men and women had • Americans were sharpy divided about of Retired Persons 53.0 sitnilazviewsaboutwhichchazi[iestheyliked United Ways. They ranked 19th among the [he most. The American Red Cross and best-liked groups and 7th among [hose that 12. Camp Fire Boys and Girls 51.1 Ronald McDonald Houses were among the people opposed. most popular charities for both men and Special Olympics, which promotes ath- 13. Public broadcasting 49.1 women. But the top preference was different X letic competition for the disabled, was for each sex. Men favored the Salvation Army, widely viewed as the most credible char- 14. Humane society 48.8 while women preferred Mothers Against ity. Seventy-three percent of Americans Drunk Driving. rated the organization very honest or ex- 15. American Diabetes Race and ethnicity also influenced prefer- tremelyhonest.Itfaroutpacedthesecond- Association 48.4 ences. The two [op-ranking organizations place organization, the Girl Scouts-rated among blacks were the United Negro College credible by 65 percent. 16. Goodwill Industries 48.0 Fund and the N.A.A.C.P., while Hispanics The Salvation Army is the charity to which ranked the American Red Cross as No. 1 and Americans said they contributed most often, 17. Society for the Prevention whites chose the Ronald McDonald Houses. of Cruelty to Animals 47.4 followed by the American Cancer Society and Mothers Against Drunk Driving, however, [he Red Cross. While MADD was the best- 18. Reading Is Fundamental 45.9 was among the top three for blacks, Hispan- likedcharity, i[was only No. 13 among groups ics, and whites. [o which people said they give regularly. 19. Children's Television • The National Association for the Ad- yyorkshop 45.3 Racial and Religious Tensions vancemen[ of Colored People topped the list Racia] and religious tensions spilled into or organizations that people said they had 20. March of Dimes Birth the ratings of charity popularity, as did divi- never supported financially. It was followed Defects Foundation 45.0 sions over such issues as abortion, gun con- by the American Civil Liberties Union and trol,theenvironmen[,andAIDS.Groupsthat the Billy Graham group. souRCE: Nye Layane s Associates continued next page