Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Things You’ll Need:
Step1
Decide on a cause. Determine which charitable causes are most important to you. Possibilities include human rights, animal rights, environmental preservation and religious causes.
Step2
Ask for literature. Whether you've gotten a phone call from a charity or you're researching a charity on the Internet, always ask the organization to send you literature in the mail. This gives you an opportunity to investigate the charity before you make a donation.
Step3
Review the charity's financial reports. Every legitimate charity should make its financial reports available to potential donors. This report may be available upon request, or it may be posted on the organization's website. The report should tell you how much of the charity's money is actually being donated to the cause, and how much goes toward operating expenses such as administrative salaries.
Step4
Ensure that the charity is non-profit. An organization must submit Form 990 to the IRS to be considered a non-profit. Ask the charity for a copy of this form.
Step5
Check with your local Better Business Bureau. If the charity you're considering is local, find the local Better Business Bureau (BBB) in your yellow pages. A quick phone call, email or letter to the BBB will help you find out if the organization has any negative reports.
Comments
JRIngrisano said
on 5/3/2008 One of the ways I weed out the scammers is to ask for literature AND an accounting of the percentage that goes to the charity vs. admin. Amazing how many folks hang up when I ask for this info.