Experts in the area of philanthropy offer these tips on charitable giving:
*See where foundations are spending money. Large foundations often require charities to present extensive documentation to receive grants.
*Beware of charities bearing predonation gifts. If they send you a gift out of the blue, it’s an expense that signals they may have high fundraising costs in relation to money coming in.
*Make sure they won’t share your name with another charity. People who give to a questionable group may find their names are sold or traded to others, bringing a flood of solicitations.
*Calls from “fraternal orders” are not charity calls. These donations go to support a unionlike professional organization, not a charity, and the gift will not be tax-deductible, warns Daniel Borochoff of CharityWatch.
*Beware of copycat names and groups that latch on to popular causes. There are a few good police and firefighting charities, but most get failing grades from CharityWatch. Ditto for veterans charities and those serving chronically or terminally ill children. In the last category, all charities with the word “wish” in their names received F’s from CharityWatch except the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
*Consider groups benefiting the environment, homelessness and hunger. In CharityWatch reports, these categories often produce the greatest number of highly rated charities.
*Beware of phone pitches that advise you to buckle up, not to drink and drive or to be patriotic. Saying those things can qualify a fundraising call as a program service, meaning that your donation might help pay for more solicitation.
*Beware of groups claiming they give 100 percent of donations to charity. Experts say this is often misleading and can be unfair to groups that are being honest about their financial picture.
*Beware of pitches on the street. Take some literature, then go home and do some research.
*Don’t give cash. If you contribute, write out a check to the official name of the charity, not to an individual or other party collecting the donation.
*Consider donations other than money. Volunteering your time or making material donations is often useful to charities.
