Pick your charity wisely

 

This page is for those individuals who give to charities but question if their donations are used wisely.  We provide you with the tools to determine what makes a charity right for you.

You, as a donator have the right to know how a charity governs their organization, how that charity spends the money that is donated, the truthfulness of their representations, and their willingness to disclose basic information to the public.  If the charity you are considering donating to will not give you this information, you need to look elsewhere to donate your hard earned dollars.

An excellent example of an institution that provides this type of information is the University of Tennessee.  They are a state institution that receives donations from the public and has all their financial information available via the internet.

UT Treasurer's Report for Fiscal Year 2006

 

Three major charity watchdog organizations:

 American Institute of Philanthropy, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, and Charity Navigator.  Each organization gives you tips on selecting the proper charities.  Charity Navigator has a webpage called the Donor's Bill of Rights that is excellent and a "must see" for anyone who is looking for advice on donating.

 

Guidestar

 is another good tool available to donators.  This organization gives you access to a charity organization's Form 990.  All you are required to do to use this website is create a login id and password. 

 

Melissa Data

is a website that provides Non Profit Lookup.  You must have either the tax id number of the charitable organization or the zip code of the charitable organization

 

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