Don't you just want to pick this kid up, and give him a hug? I saw this picture and it about tore my heart out. This is real, and there are people in need. I had an epiphany that's really hard to explain so I posted this picture on Facebook, so that others might contemplate the issue.
Oddly enough, one of the questions posed was "How do I donate without getting scammed or putting most of my money into administration costs?" Excellent question, and deserving of an article.
How to donate to charity without getting scammed or putting most of your money into administration costs.
1. Research the charity you're thinking of donating to.
2. Do not give to cold call charities or emails.
3. Same as #2. You be the one to initiate contact with the charity. If they contacted you first, and are non profit, then how are they paying for that exposure?
4. Most Important: Do not use the internet search engines to look for charities. Scammers make fake web sites.
5. Fear Not. There are plenty of people and organizations that examine and criticize charities to make sure they are legitimate.
Starting the list over
1. Researching a charity to donate to is pretty easy. There are several organizations that make sure charities are legitimate. The best one is the Federal Trade Commission. They crack down on scammers, so they are the perfect place to start. After that there are several websites that make it their mission to allow you to search for the right charity for you. These are some of the best one's there are.
Avoid Charity Fraud
Federal Trade Commission
http://www.ftc.gov/charityfraud/
Charity Navigator
http://www.charitynavigator.org/
Network for good
http://www1.networkforgood.org/
Hands On Network
http://www.handsonnetwork.org/
Aidmatrix Network - FEMA
http://www.aidmatrixnetwork.org/
National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster
http://www.nvoad.org/
#2 and #3
If a charity contacts you rather than you contacting them, you must ask yourself how they are paying for it, and what type of contact it is? Both legitimate charities and scammers use phone calls, emails, advertisements, websites, and other things to lure you in. My biggest pet peeve is late at night when I'm channel surfing, I always come across an infomercial asking me to donate to starving children. First off, I have to suffer through watching the death and despair of little ones. Then I know how expensive it is to run an infomercial every night. They could feed a lot more kids if they weren't buying millions of dollars worth of screen time. How do you tell? You can't, I'm sorry, but you just can't tell if it's a scam. But there are still warning signs.
These are warning signs you can look for. (Taken from the FTC.)
High pressure pitches. Reject them: It’s okay to hang up.
A thank you for a pledge you don't remember making. Be skeptical; scam artists will lie to get your money.
Requests for cash. Avoid giving cash donations.
Charities that offer to send a courier or overnight delivery service to collect your money.
Charities that guarantee sweepstakes winnings in exchange for a contribution.
Charities that spring up overnight, especially those that involve current events like natural disasters, or those that claim to be for police officers, veterans, or firefighters. They probably don't have the infrastructure to get your donations to the affected area or people.
#4 and #5
I just believe you should be the first one to contact them. And feel free to make a safe bet with long standing charity organizations that have a good reputation. The Salvation Army, Red Cross, Catholic Church, March of Dimes, and a few others are wonderful charities that do a lot of good. I also believe in giving to local charities first, and a good resource for them is the Better Business Bureau. Just find your local BBB office, and they can tell you all you want to know.
Please be prepared. Even if you only plan on donating once, you can still figure out a system. Find a place to search for charities, and book mark it. Google, and Yahoo are not your friends when charities are concerned. If you use them, you might as well go to skid row and hand out alcohol money, because at least that's an honest donation.
Please remember that there is suffering all over the world. You can help the Tsunami victims in Japan, or the earthquake victims in Haiti. You can help the starving children in whatever third world country is going through the hardest time. There is also a starving child within 1 mile of where ever you live. You have neighbors that have a child with cancer, and others that have already lost a child. Life is hard, and moreso for some than others, but my point is simple. When donating, just figure out which type of suffering you want to alleviate, and put your money or time towards that. You don't need to be a superhero, and donate millions along with 35 hours a day of your time. Those expectations are impossible to meet. Just doing what you can is more than enough.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope it helps, and good luck with your search.
No comments:
Post a Comment