For some 20 years I volunteered with Junior Achievement (https://www.juniorachievement.org/web...) because I enjoyed bringing some understanding of how the world can work to young people. Nothing altruistic about it.

I rarely have "time" in abundance to help others but when I do, it's always local. That is the way America had always acted before big government, We'll do it for you nonsense.
I also, like many here, only support organizations that reflect our values and preferred behaviors and philosophies, Like Hillsdale College and Mercury One for instance.

However, as most of us have come to realize, as we are more and more forced to pay for everyone else, we have less and less to help others with if we so desire, not to mention, less and less for our own survival.

Altruism is a faux and bizarre concept: there is Not one cell in your body that would sacrifice itself for another cell...that's nature, however, what makes us amazing humans is the fact that once our survival needs are satisfied, just like every cell in your body, the excess value, what ever remains in abundance, is automatically shared or passed on.

I am sure everyone here has done this without thinking...like offering food to someone that unintentionally drops in at supper time.
Just one of many examples.

I generally do not participate in any charity. I do however support the efforts of local "charities" like the local High School trip to Chicago for the Kids. I know who benefits and who is or is not getting money off the top.

I do believe in charity but not necessarily financially. As such I volunteer on our counties rescue team, assist our Local Emergency Planning Committee as a Haz-mat specialist and provide disaster survival training to local communities. I believe in putting back to the community I take from, I just prefer to keep my cash close!

I sponsor a child thru Children's International. To me, it is better to have private organizations helping rather than government. Less waste and better results. I find it very rewarding.

Only in ones for funding types of research I care about such as anti-aging. I am working too hard to take what little of my earning government has left me to get my startup going to participate in charities of late.

I have supported many friends in hard times to my ability to do so. With some of them I am glad to have done so. With others, not so much.

Where is this question coming from? The mark of ethical praiseworthiness is not giving to charity. It is how much value you create given your abilities and resources.

1) it is hard to distinguish people who are in need because of accidental misfortunes from which they are recovering thru their own actions- from looter types looking for a free handout
2). There are so many people walking the streets looking for handouts on the streets and expecting me to work so they don't have to.
3) there is so much money being taken by government from me and handed out to freeloaders

That I have just backed off from the whole charity thing

BTW I avoid national charities like United Way and Red Cross.

I volunteer for the local Presbyterian Hospital. We volunteers do a variety of jobs and we reach out to the community by sponsoring arts & crafts fair (where the money is put back into gift cards for Wounded Warriors), we help the chaplain provide clothes for those who lose their clothes in ER, we adopt a needy family at Christmas, and we provide support (and comfort items) to cancer patients.
I like helping my community and I do contribute to St. Jude, a No Kill animal shelter, and Masons.