Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
Giving Tuesday shouldn’t mean “Gotcha Tuesday”
Many people seem to have more of a charitable heart during the holiday season. Almost anyone will say that is a very positive thing and there are scores of people who genuinely need help who benefit from the generosity of others, especially during this time of year. As a way to shine a spotlight on the helpful nature of many people and to encourage others to help, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving has been labeled as “Giving Tuesday.” This year, Giving Tuesday is on Tuesday, Dec. 1.
While it is good and noble to give any time of year and especially during the holiday season, there is no shortage of unscrupulous people who will take advantage of the generosity of others. These bad actors may present themselves as someone seeking to help others. However, far too often, they are looking to only help themselves and enrich their own pockets, rather than help someone else. There are ways to avoid being taken in by these fraudsters.
One way they operate is to use a name that is similar to a legitimate charity. For instance, one of the most notorious culprits, according to many, is the “Kids Wish Network,” which can sometimes be confused with the “Make a Wish Foundation.” Make a Wish spends most of its donations on the children it serves, whereas it has been reported that the Kids Wish Network spends only about three cents of every dollar on kids.
Beware of any charity that relies on tear-jerking mail or phone calls rather than offering transparent financial reporting. Never trust a “charity” that pressures you to make any donation right away and resists sharing financial data.
Just because a charity may be “nonprofit” does not mean it is completely legitimate or efficient with the charitable dollars it receives. Many nonprofits have a 501(c)(3) designation from the Internal Revenue Service, but this can be deceiving. Not every organization with 501(c)(3) designation is an effective charity.
Just because there are some bad actors around does not mean one should completely slam the pocketbook shut when it comes to generosity. There are many charities to which one can confidently donate. One way to weed out the bad operators is to check them out through Charity Navigator. Charity Navigator rates hundreds of charities in terms of efficiency, how much of every dollar donated goes to administrative costs as opposed to actually providing services and more. Here are a few of the many respected charities where one can be confident their charitable dollars will do the most good:
• Florida Art Education Association
• American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities, Inc. (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital)
• Feeding America
• Ronald McDonald House Charities
• Marine Toys for Tots Foundation
• The Gary Sinise Foundation
• PetSmart Charities
• Samaritan’s Purse
There are several resources one can check to make sure your charitable dollars are being used wisely. The Better Business Bureau has a website, give.org, that can provide useful information on various charities. Other helpful resources include charitywatch.org and charitynavigator.org.
Monetary gifts are not the only way to give. Often, people will give gently used items to thrift stores, etc. One should still do their due diligence to ensure the thrift store is legitimate. Many places may have charity-sounding names, but are actually for-profit businesses. It’s always good to check with the thrift store to make sure they can accept your items. Please keep in mind that simply “dumping” items that are “junk” and can’t be sold or re-cycled can actually cost the charity money.
It is always good to have a charitable heart and there are plenty of opportunities to help others, not only during the holidays, but throughout the year. It’s also wise to ensure the charities you support share the same desire to help others and not simply line their own pockets.