How well do you know the charity you give to?
This has been pondering our household this week.
Hubs & I have had several conversations on this, for a couple of reasons. I am on a board at work, that decides what organizations we donate/partner with throughout the year, second I saw a post from an organization that infuriated me, and third because hubs grew up in the non-profit world.
Some tips:
Tips for Giving Wisely
1. Know your charity.
2. Do you know where and what your dollars are going towards
3. Keep records of your donations
4. Tax Exempt/ Tax Deductible . what's the difference
5. Check the charity out, even if they sound familiar.
6. Don't be persuaded by emotional appeals
7. Is the charity registered?
8. What do they do with "in-kind" donations.
9. Donations of your time/talent.
10. When they pass your test, give generously.
I also check out Charity navigator to see if there are comments about the organization, and what kind of expenses/budget the organization works with.
Hubs family has been involved with a pregnancy center his parents started 30 years ago. They also have 2 other organizations they have started over the years.. I can tell you when funds are needed, they are very specific what they are being used for.
An organization we follow, recently was asking for money, just saying it was for operating costs.
Some people asked, if they could make in-kind donations, which they said yes. Then I find that these donated items are not all necessarily being used for the organizations purpose, but being sold to raise funds for the organization. A conversation ensued with hubs, I said did your parents org, ever sell items intended to be used in the mission of the center.. he said absolutely not. He said that if they ever ran out of room, they would look for donated space, use their garage, or see if the giver could hold it til they had room.
The board at work, had some discussions on several organizations people proposed. Some were omitted, because they receive National funding, and was potentially questionable. An organization we have donated to for several years, is awesome, when we tell them we are doing something, they usually give us some specific items they need, for either in-kind donations or a specific purpose of monetary donations, which people seem to donate more to, if they know exactly what it is for, or I kind of like to think, that people like to know that their money is going to good use. Also this place, sends us frequent updates on their org, they invite us to their building, and we can see where & how what we give is used for.
Do your homework when giving, I have been greatly enlightened this week & we will greatly be changing some of our giving habits.
I also check out Charity navigator to see if there are comments about the organization, and what kind of expenses/budget the organization works with.
Hubs family has been involved with a pregnancy center his parents started 30 years ago. They also have 2 other organizations they have started over the years.. I can tell you when funds are needed, they are very specific what they are being used for.
An organization we follow, recently was asking for money, just saying it was for operating costs.
Some people asked, if they could make in-kind donations, which they said yes. Then I find that these donated items are not all necessarily being used for the organizations purpose, but being sold to raise funds for the organization. A conversation ensued with hubs, I said did your parents org, ever sell items intended to be used in the mission of the center.. he said absolutely not. He said that if they ever ran out of room, they would look for donated space, use their garage, or see if the giver could hold it til they had room.
The board at work, had some discussions on several organizations people proposed. Some were omitted, because they receive National funding, and was potentially questionable. An organization we have donated to for several years, is awesome, when we tell them we are doing something, they usually give us some specific items they need, for either in-kind donations or a specific purpose of monetary donations, which people seem to donate more to, if they know exactly what it is for, or I kind of like to think, that people like to know that their money is going to good use. Also this place, sends us frequent updates on their org, they invite us to their building, and we can see where & how what we give is used for.
Do your homework when giving, I have been greatly enlightened this week & we will greatly be changing some of our giving habits.
How they deal with in-kind donations is the specific reason that I don't donate my hair to Locks of Love. If I have spent 5 years growing my hair, I don't want to donate it thinking that a child without hair can have a wig made from my hair, only to have it sold!
ReplyDeleteWow, I didn't know that about locks of love! We also try to be very careful to who we give to especially those "catholic" organizations. We have stopped giving money to Catholic Charities, CCHD and CRS for specific anti-Catholic stuff. We stick w/ giving to preg. centers where we know where our money is going to and our favorite religious orders. It is tough to even find out some of the inner workings of these charities too if they are a huge national charity.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, thanks for the tips!
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