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Eight Essential Actions to Take that Makes
for a Smart Donor
Charitable giving should always be giving that comes from the
heart and nobody wants to throw his or her money away. There
are ways to ensure that you donate your money in as smart a
manner as possible. Read on for eight essentials actions to
take that makes for a smart donor.
Action Number One
The smartest thing to do is donate money to a charity that is
well known and familiar to you. To use some concrete examples,
donate money to the local chapter of the Red Cross in your
community; donate money to a charitable organization that your
company is associated with or donate money to an organization
that has a mission statement in line with what you believe and
that has a team of managers and representatives that you know
can be trusted.
Action Number Two
Always do plenty of research before you donate money to any
charity. You can do research by contacting the local Better
Business Bureau (BBB), the registration office of the charity
in your town or city, or looking into the Better Business
Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance by way of the Internet. Other
options are to check out the Non-Profit Center or go to the IRS
website or call them directly for information.
Action Number Three
Find out before you donating if the organization is tax-exempt
and what portion of your donation could be tax deductible. When
in doubt speak to the Internal Revenue Service about this
important financial information before you go ahead and send
money. Always get a receipt for your taxes when you donate
money to a charity.
Action Number Four
It is better to send money directly to a charitable
organization as opposed to going through a third party such as
a solicitor who calls you over the phone. Just because he says
he is a representative for the Heart and Stroke Foundation how
can you verify this over the phone? Solicitors have to be paid
too and even they are legitimate all of the money you donate
will not go to the charity in question.
Action Number Five
Talk to other people you know such as family members, friends
and work colleagues to get suggestions about which charities
are wise to donate to and which are not.
Action Number Six
Only give what you can afford to give. Do not let anyone bully
you into donating money when you are unable to and do not feel
that you are a bad person if money is tight and you must forego
donating at any given time. Christmas time and around
Thanksgiving time is when a lot of people feel the most
charitable but only give what you are capable of giving.
Action Number Seven
Always ask as many questions as you must of a charity and
realize that if you are a donor to the charity you have every
right to be kept abreast of what is going on with the charity.
Request information in writing of the charity in regards to
what exactly your money will be used for.
Action Number Eight
There is more than one way to give to charities. If you do not
have the financial means to donate rest assured that there are
other ways to help out those in need. Consider volunteering
your time, as time is often just as valuable as money. Never
let anyone tell you otherwise. The desire to help others is a
strong one and is very admirable so whatever way you are able
to be a donor, whether it is by way of money or time, do so and
be proud that you did so.
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