Every year about this time I post a blog on the topic
of giving, and since my personal blog is already booked up (no pun intended)
for the next couple weeks, I thought I’d share the giving post here.
My giving post generally focuses on specific
charities, but this year I’m including a word of caution, too. We’ve all gotten
those phone calls asking for money for various deserving charities (and if you
haven’t gotten those phone calls, please PM me and spill your secret), but it’s
important to note that the companies that are hired to make those calls get
paid with a significant percentage of the money they bring in.
If
you want your chosen charity to get the most bang for your buck, give directly
to the charity by calling or visiting its website. A
much higher percentage of your donation will, in most cases, go directly toward
helping people, animals, etc.
With that out of the way, I’d like to introduce you to
Charity Navigator. If you’re not familiar with this website, it’s a place where
people can go to get some important particulars about the charities they’re
considering, such as transparency, accountability, and financial health.
Charity Navigator rates charities based on these criteria and shares its
results with donors in ways that are easy to understand.
Charity Navigator has a number of ways to help donors
choose charities. A donor can search for a particular charity by name, of course,
but he or she can also search for charities with perfect scores, trending
charities, big and small charities, charities to watch, and the list goes on
and on. The site also includes tips for donors as well as a blog with some
helpful and informative information about giving.
Click here to visit Charity Navigator and check it out
for yourself.
Interested in what charities I’m considering this
year? Here they are:
United
Methodist Committee on Relief
Cure
Alzheimer’s Fund
Rainforest
Trust
Make-A-Wish
Foundation of New Jersey
Make-A-Wish
Foundation of Hawaii
Books
for Africa
These are just a few of the literally thousands of charities
to choose from, and sorting through them to find the right ones for you is a
time-consuming job. Charity Navigator does most of the work for donors. I urge
you to check out the website and give during this holiday season.
Wonderful Information! Enjoy your week, Amy!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sharon! Same to you!
ReplyDeleteThank you. Having a job again puts me in the position to give to charities, but I'm always wary of scams. There are some local ones where I live that we think are solid, but your information provides more security. Thank you for that. It feels good to help a cause, especially this time of year.
ReplyDeleteMost of the time when I give it is direct giving, to individuals or local groups
ReplyDeleteI have a number I give to each year and feel confident about them. Charity Navigator is a good source. Thanks for this, Amy.
ReplyDeleteLinda, I've been getting a lot of phone calls lately that mimic local numbers on the caller ID, like the pharmacy or the library. It's sick.
ReplyDeleteCharles, that's wise. I used to give over the phone, but then I was surprised to learn how little of those donations go to the actual charity.
Maggie, it's nice to have a regular slate of charities. There are certain charities we give to every year, but we usually choose a couple different ones to mix it up.
Great info, Amy. Thank you!
ReplyDelete