We have all been there. Taken in by the plight of someone in need. But what do you do if you want to make sure the organization you want to donate to is worthy and reputable? There are some easy ways you can make sure.
Contact
If you are located in the same city as the organization, pick up the telephone and call the organization and ask for the fundraising office. Ask them for their tax id number and ask if your donation would be tax deductible. If the fundraising office cannot give you that tax id number and tells you that the donation would not be tax deductible; thank them and hang up. And run! Do not write these people a check. Even if you are not interested in taking a tax deduction for your donation, the fact that your donation would not be indicates that the organization is not engaged in charitable activities.
IRS
The Internal Revenue Service maintains a list of all IRS approved non profits and charities. If you have access to the Internet it is reasonably easy to go to the IRS website (www.irs.gov) and check the charity and non profit section. With recent changes to the statues, the IRS has begun stripping many once charitable organizations of their tax exempt status. That means donations to these organizations are no longer tax deductible. While these organizations may still do fine work in the community; they fail to meet the federal government’s standard of a tax exempt charity. The website is full of sites like the IRS and Guidestar that will provide you with information regarding the organization you are interested in.
Better Business Bureau
Your local Better Business Bureau is also available to provide you with information regarding organizations within your community. Phone your local office and ask if there have been any complaints filed. Keep in mind however, that just because someone has filed a complaint against an organization doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t contribute. Sometimes people file complaints because they didn’t get what they wanted. Not because of anything bad or criminal that the organization has done. By the same token, just because no one has complained, doesn’t mean the organization is completely pure.
Reputation
Ask around. Most non profit organizations have websites these days and the majority of them list who has donated. Check to see if you know someone on the list. See if other organizations that you are familiar with do business with the non profit. Reputation within a community is a valuable commodity and non profits work hard to keep that reputation as positive as they can. If you are interested in a specific non profit, talk to them. They will be willing to answer your questions and provide you with literature and additional information. If you truly want to see what they do, ask. They will be glad to show you. And this glimpse into the organization will give you an even broader idea of just where your contribution will go and what it will provide within the organization and within the community.
Another excellent option is to make use of independent rating organizations such as charity navigator. Regardless of your methodology it is in good judgement to practice due diligence when it comes to donating your money, time and resources.
If you are interested in organizing your own fundraising learn more on how to fundraise online which will allow you not only to give out of your own pocket but also to equip others to give while creating buzz for worhty causes.
Grammarly grammar checker the most widely used grammar tool is a proud sponsor of www.wideawake.org