It’s Giving Tuesday, the day we open our hearts and wallets for charities. But how do you know if the charity you’re donating to is truly charitable?
An easy way to give is to donate to ROC the Day. The money goes to the United Way which then distributes it to non-profits right here in our community.
But what if there’s a charity you’d like to give a direct donation to? That’s great too but first do a bit of homework.
It’s your money. So, when you donate to any charity, you want to know it will be a good steward of your hard-earned cash.
The example of the collapse of Family Service of Rochester is a cautionary tale. News10NBC’s investigation of the non-profit’s 990, the form charities file with the IRS, revealed it has been cash-strapped for a decade. For the last three years, it was teetering on the cliff of bankruptcy until finally this summer it closed its doors and forced the elderly and disabled residents in all its area facilities to move out in days.
But you don’t have to rely solely on News10NBC’s investigations to learn about its financial trouble. You can do the work yourself by using a tool called Charity Navigator, a watchdog non-profit of sorts for charities. It gives Family Service of Rochester two out of four stars, indicating it needs improvement. The primary reason is its financial statements, where it gets zero out of 15 points. This demonstrates the simple step we can all take before opening our wallets.
Here’s Deanna’s do list before donating:
- Ask the charity for its exact name and website. Scammers often create sham charities with names similar to legitimate non-profits.
- Ask how much of its money goes toward the mission. Charity Navigator suggests 70% or more of their total expenses should go toward its core mission.
- Ask if the donation is tax deductible.
- Always donate by credit card or check.
- Check the charity’s rating at Charity Navigator, GuideStar or the Better Business Bureau’s Give.org
It’s important to note that just because an organization is tax-exempt does not mean it’s tax-deductible. You should also clarify that before giving.
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