Charitable Giving Tips
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The Tri-State BBB Foundation provides essential tips for being a wise donor, emphasizing the importance of researching charities before making a donation. It advises potential donors to request information, verify identities of solicitors, avoid high-pressure tactics, and pay directly to charities rather than fundraisers. By following these guidelines, individuals can support legitimate charities while protecting themselves from scams.
Charitable Giving Tips
- 1. The Tri-State BBB Foundation Presents: Charitable Giving Tips How to be a wise donor
- 2. Charitable Considerations It all starts with a phone call. Or maybe a letter. After a while it can seem like every charity in the world is asking you for a donation. Before you make the decision about who you would like to help most, please take into consideration the information about to be presented.
- 3. Request printed materials about the charity. Before you make a decision to donate your money to a charity, you need to find out as much information as possible. Legitimate charities are usually happy to send prospective donors promotional material. This tip is especially crucial if you have been contacted by a telemarketer.
- 4. Don't be fooled by a name. Some organizations use sympathetic sounding names, or names that closely resemble those of respected, well-established charities. Could you tell the difference between an appeal from the National Cancer Center and the National Cancer Coalition? Their names sound the same, but their performances are vastly different. Take the time to find out who you are supporting.
- 5. Ask Questions. Don’t be afraid to ask the charity how they intend to use your donations. Try to get a specific response. Also, try to find out what percentage of the donation will be going to the charity’s administrative costs. Everyone has bills to pay but if the ratio is not proportional it can be a red flag for a dishonest organization. Check it out at Give.org.
- 6. Check I.D. If a solicitor comes to your door, ask for identification. This seems fairly simple but when a charity is involved sometime people get caught up in the desire to help and forget the basics. Make sure that the solicitor is actually representing a legitimate charity.
- 7. Don't give in to high-pressure tactics. “ Hardball" solicitations that demand an instant commitment are unprofessional and should arouse suspicion. If the charity is legitimate, it should be willing to give you time to make up your mind.
- 8. Pay the charity, not the fundraiser. Never give your credit card number to a telephone solicitor and don't pay by cash. Pay by check and make it payable to the charity itself. You might also want to simply mail a check directly to the charity to eliminate the middleman.
- 9. Beware of extreme urgency Be wary of charities that offer to send a courier to collect your money immediately. Legitimate charities can wait for a check.
- 10. Don’t be disheartened. There are a lot of wonderful charities out there, but there are also a lot of scams of which you should be wary. If you follow the steps previously outlined, you should be able to find a charity whose cause you can support with confidence that your money is being put to good use.
- 11. If you have any questions, contact your BBB. This presentation brought to you by: The Tri-State Better Business Bureau 5401 Vogel Road, Suite 410 Evansville, Indiana 47715 812-473-0202 www.Evansville.BBB.org