1 person found this review helpful
Smile Train, Inc.
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Featured Review
December 19, 2012
1 person found this review helpful
Smile Train is a wonderful organization. I really love the mission and seeing how a simple surgery opens the door for these kids, giving them the chance to rise to their full potential. The staff I have interacted with are all incredibly caring and dedicated, and the charity accomplishes an amazing amount with relatively few people. By all accounts the new leadership has the organization more focused and efficient than ever. Absolutely one of the best charities out there.
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How does this organization compare with others in the same sector?
Very Well
How much of an impact do you think this organization has?
Life-changing
Will you recommend this organization to others?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
June 7, 2013
I will continue to donate to Smile Train and other successful society-focused organizations, because they MAKE A DIFFERENCE. For those of us who somehow think it's acceptable that CEOs of banks and oil companies get paid a lot, but balk at the CEOs of non-profits being paid a salary comparable to their talents, skills, and moreover the fact that they're being paid to use their skills to HELP others (as opposed to, well, making money for other rich people and stop there, in some cases, oh I don't know, crippling the US and world economy and then getting away with it), you should take some time and really think about whether your logic makes sense. Better yet, think about whether your logic is the right way to think about positive social change in this world. We reward our Ivy League graduates with tons of money to go work in Wall Street or Google or Microsoft. But when they want to use their Stanford degrees to help people, all of a sudden we don't want to pay them for it? Think again. http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pallotta_the_way_we_think_about_charity_is_dead_wrong.html
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Tell its detractors to watch this TED video: http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pallotta_the_way_we_think_about_charity_is_dead_wrong.html
More feedback...
Was your donation impactful?
Likely
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Likely
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Likely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2013
May 29, 2013
We lost our beloved niece one year ago, she brought so many smiles to us you cannot imagine. Life cut so short by illness. We wanted to remember her so when we searched for a charity, we found SmileTrain to be the best. We always send our donations to a triple match to maximize our dollars and thank Smile Train and it's benefactors who allow us to do that. Now when we receive a photo of a child we have given a better life to and that gorgeous smile we think of our Liana and the smiles she brought into our lives. You can't put a price on that, priceless and we will have priceless memories of these children for our lifetime. Keep up the good work Smile Train. Our only wish is that these surgeries would never to have happen because of basic lack of proper food and vitamins. We take our good health for granted. Sincerely, The John and Lucy Del Ponte Family and the Liana Fitzgerald Family
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Educate about the importance of proper food and vitamins to the clients and let them know to pass that on, and urge the govermnents to do more.
More feedback...
Was your donation impactful?
Definitely
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Definitely
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2013
1 person found this review helpful
May 24, 2013
1 person found this review helpful
I first dontated to Smile Train about 6 months ago. Despite the posts of others, I do not believe that I have received more than 1-2 additional solicitations from Smile Train, and to the best of my knowledge, I have received ZERO additional requests from other charities in the same period. I am just putting that out there ....
More feedback...
Was your donation impactful?
Likely
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Likely
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Likely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2013
6 people found this review helpful
April 23, 2013
6 people found this review helpful
I had been solicited through the mail by Smile Train. I am a trusting sort and believed all their claims, plus was taken in by their pictures (which are calculated to elicit an emotional response, meaning: a FINANCIAL donation) from you. Since then a number of things have occurred. 1) I suddenly found myself bombarded by a LARGE number of charity solicitors 2) I started receiving frequent mailings - we are talking maybe as many as 4 askings a week for money- REALLY. Yes, I DID try to tell them when I had amassed 3 asks by putting them all into one envelope. I mailed them and then another one came the next day. 3) I found myself on quite a number of mailing lists with varieties of organizations ever growing. 4) When I asked to get taken off the mailing list, in about a weeks time, I was suddenly receiving mail from new "requesters"(if you will, as if my statement that I no longer wanted them[Hell have no fury like a scorned charity?!? : 0], caused them to trade or sell off my information to other charities.
Other people have had the same issue (slow/non-responsive to remove from mailing list) I found per an web search and article on CharityWatch.org
If I had know that Help Me See would lead to Smile Train, would lead to Burn Rescue and SO MANY other mailing lists I never would of given to them
More feedback...
Was your donation impactful?
Likely
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
No
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
No
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2013
1 person found this review helpful
March 24, 2013
1 person found this review helpful
Everyone needs to relax about the salary situation. Ms. Ma makes ~$400K and is the top paid official. Donations increased by over 500% on her watch - I don't know the contribution distribution among each donor level, but even assuming a minimum donation of $50 per person she would have generated an additional $71M which would equate to over 200,000 more surgeries than if someone else had been doing her job and donations stayed static.
So when I see people so outraged that this woman gets paid what she gets paid it's ridiculous. If you want talent you need to pay for it - people that can pull something like that off should get paid well for it - and it doesn't mean they don't care just because they're paid well.
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Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
A lot
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2013
2 people found this review helpful
February 9, 2013
2 people found this review helpful
I have given to Smile Train in the past. Don't know if I should continue ... so much confusion about how much of our donations goes to the operations. While I appreciate that staff needs to be fairly compensated I would like to know if the greater portion of the contribution goes to the operations and the kids.
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When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
13 people found this review helpful
December 28, 2012
13 people found this review helpful
I have donanted to Smile Train at least three times and now I am so confused about whether to continue. I didn't know that the CEO and others make so much money and that really upsets me. I know the organization has expenses, but the doctors and nurses volunteer their services and I believe the organization could save money by less advertising and paying their CEOs and others less. No one needs that kind of money! I'd like to know how much he or she donates to their own organization. I must give further thought to my future donations.
More feedback...
Was your donation impactful?
Unsure
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Unsure
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Unsure
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
4 people found this review helpful
December 21, 2012
4 people found this review helpful
SmileTrain posts highly offensive web ads depicting disfigured children. I consistently complain to every website carrying such ads. I can support this work, which may be very beneficial to these unfortunate kids, but there has to be a better way than their ad campaign.
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Will you volunteer or donate to this organization?
No
How much of an impact do you think this organization has?
A little
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
December 14, 2012
9 people found this review helpful
OMG, I used to donate to Smile Train and now I've been bombarded by pictures of deformed children wherever I go on the web. Dozens of pictures over and over of horribly deformed children all day long for over a month now. What a way to spend advertising dollars and alienate patrons. It's awful and stressful. I've tried many times to get them to stop and clearly they have no idea what their doing. Awfully mismanaged organization. Avoid them like the plague they've sent my way. Find other orgs for your precious charity dollars.
More feedback...
Was your donation impactful?
Unsure
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
No
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
No
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
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