Wanting to give to charity is always a positive thing, but not all charities are equal. Read on to determine which charity is right for you.
There’s nothing wrong with being a picky giver. More than ever, it’s important that we become aware of who we decide to give to. After all, no one wants an organization to squander money. How do you choose a charity wisely and responsibly while protecting your values? Read on to find out more.
Pick According to Your Interests
Before you blindly give to any charity, it’s important to understand what its mission is. That way, you can target which charity you want to support. Are you a veteran who wants to get other veterans off the streets? Are you interested in environmentalism? Are you a strong proponent of mental health initiatives? There are charities for each of these purposes. It’s also beneficial to decide what you want to give. While most charities accept money, some actively request clothes and other seasonal items to either distribute or use for fundraising.
Choosing the Right Charity
There are a few ways to choose one charity out of the thousands of options. For example, you can choose based on popularity. Popular charities work diligently to earn their sterling reputations. In addition to this, any charity you choose should have documentation regarding where the money is going. Always seek that out first. If there isn’t any paper trail, that should be a red flag.
Alternately, you can give to “mega-charities” with multiple charities on their rooster. These charities don’t want to deal with corrupt charities. They go through extensive interview processes and ask for documentation ahead of time to ensure every charity they work with is honest.
Either way, choosing a charity you trust is the most important aspect of choosing a charity wisely and responsibly.
Ask the Right Questions
Here are a few questions you might want to ask yourself—or the charity itself—to help you decide.
• What are some programs that they’ve sponsored in the past? If this is a charity related to helping homeless veterans, how does that “helping hand” look? Are they building soup kitchens? Backing housing initiatives? Creating educational resources?
• Is the charity accumulating too much cash for its upkeep? While a charity certainly needs funds to operate, the bulk of the money should go to the initiatives it set out to perform. A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is that 75 percent of revenue should go toward their initiatives while the remaining 25 percent should go toward upkeep.
• How effective does the charity seem? Can you find evidence of the changes they contribute to? Make sure that any charity you consider has a presence and actively fulfills its mission in your community.
Giving to the right charity can be daunting. The sheer magnitude of the charities seems overwhelming at first glance. However, by using these tips, you should know how to shift through the various charities and put your mind at ease.
