I’m a programmer. I have created, maintained and contributed to many open source projects over 40 years. That’s my donation.
I never give money: I give my time - like for example I’m a volunteer at our local association for the blind - and I give non-commercial things like my blood, used clothing, used toys or food. And to repay the other developers whose work I enjoy everyday, I donate code that I strive to make as good as possible.
The reason I never give money is because the money - part or all - invariably ends up in someone’s pocket other than the intended recipient. When it’s legal, it’s called “overhead”. Still, legal or not, and justified or not, I’m not interested in paying for that.
I know that. But it’s just a general rule at this point: I just don’t give money. It’s rarely satisfying to give money (and yes, the person doing the donation needs to feel good doing it too) and I just don’t want to find out who deserves to get mine and who doesn’t. I understand your sentiment too, but that’s my personal rule. One has to draw the line somewhere: I’m not Mother Theresa and I reckon I contribute more than the average person to my local community. But I’m also free to donate what I want to donate, and money isn’t part of what I want to donate.