|
Not All Charities Are Created
Equal
If you are a charitable person and like to reach out to those
in need then you are to be commended. However, it is important
to bear in mind that not all charities are created equal. While
many do have the needs of people in mind and spend valuable
dollars funding research and looking for ways to improve the
lives of individuals, others are more of a blanket corporation
that is simply looking to feed off of the generosity and
well-meaning nature of good people.
It is important to take the time to research a charitable
organization before you part with your money as the number one
question most donors have in regards to charities is, “How do I
know if an organization is legitimate?” and also people want to
know how and where they go to report a not-for-profit
organization that they suspect could be fraudulent. Read on for
some ideas.
There are always reports in the news about charities that are
not so charitable upon closer inspection and steering clear of
these organizations is not always easy to do. One of the first
steps you should take before donating money to any charitable
organization, even if it is well known is to go straight to the
IRS. The IRS is able to do a search for all charities that it
has personally given the stamp of approval to. If the IRS lists
the charity you are considering, then that is good news, but
delve even deeper into the situation. Now take the time to
discover how effective as well as how effective the given
charity really is.
It is possible to verify the tax-exempt status of a charitable
organization as well as its eligibility for it to collect
contributions that are tax deductible. You can do this simply
and easily by requesting to see a letter from the IRS written
to the charity that clearly states that it is tax-exempt or you
can also go ahead and call the toll-free number for the
IRS.
There are websites that can help you in your endeavors. For
example Charity Navigator is able to rank charities based on
their status in the IRS to uncover which ones actually do the
most good for the people they claim to help. As a guideline any
charitable organization that does not spend an average of 65
percent of its annual budget on living up to its reason for
being should be avoided at all costs. The website GuideStar.org
has a list of an estimated 1.5 million non profit charitable
organizations in its database and these are all organizations
that meet the necessary criteria for tax exemptions as
delineated by the IRS. Another website, Give.org is closely
connected to the Better Business Bureau and can provide a
wealth of information about which charities are worthwhile and
which ones are less so.
Look to your state attorney general’s office if you suspect
that a charity is guilty of fraudulent practices. For example
if you have reason to believe that there are not-for-profit
groups or organizations that claim to be such but are not
operating as such then report this right away and let the state
attorney investigate the situation. If you are unsure about how
to reach your state attorney general’s office then check out
the website for The National Association of Attorneys General
for a complete list for every state and the necessary contact
information. Never let any so called nonprofit organization
continue to bilk people of their hard earned dollars if you are
privy to information that could shed light on the illegal
dealings of the said organization.
| 
Delicious
Google Bookmarks
Stumbleupon
Digg
BlinkList
Ma.gnolia
Reddit
Yahoo My Web