Where Does Charity Start?
I recently heard on the news that a
family has been accused of using funds raised by charities as their personal
piggy banks. It is alleged that
The Cancer Fund of America, The Breast Cancer Society and Children’s Fund of America
gave an estimated 3% of public donations to people with cancer.
In the interest of full disclosure,
I have given money to these “charities.”
The people involved are, of course, innocent until proven guilty, except
for those family members who have admitted their guilt as part of their plea
agreements.
Some years ago I was persuaded to
stop contributing to those charities after I read a report that the charities
were under investigation. I
learned of that report from a group called Charity Navigator.
They describe themselves as
America’s leading independent charity evaluator. The organization evaluates public charities granted
tax-exempt status by the IRS. That
excludes many religious organizations like the Salvation Army and private
foundations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The organization limits itself to
charities with more than $500,000 annually raised by donations and total
revenues greater than $1,000,000 for one year. That still covers most major charities.
The evaluation they conduct is
based on three factors: Financial Health, Accountability and Transparency, and
Results Reporting. Details about each category are available on the site.
No charitable organization is
charged for a rating. The
organization depends entirely on private donations. In the interest of full disclosure, I have donated to
them. I find their ratings helpful
and interesting. You can request
results on an individual charity or investigate an area of focus like
protecting the environment or providing day care in Cincinnati.
Charity Navigator provides ways to
respond to crises around the world.
My sister, Tina, told me about the
organization. Like most people, I
don’t have the time or expertise to evaluate charities. The watchdog organizations have been
stretched to the breaking points and, even if fully staffed and funded, they
could never keep up with all the varieties of human greed.
I find Charity Navigator helpful. You might try it too.
Yep, I have used them for years. When my father died and I helped take over my mother’s finances, we used their resources to go through all her charitable contributions to determine which still made sense.
ReplyDelete~ Jim
Thank you of this very helpful information. So many times we blindly give money to charities that sound like they support the charitable works that we want to help. Sadly, that isn't always the case. Often I contributed to charities that called my home, the Breast Cancer Society being among them. Since getting caller ID on our phone, we are able to avoid these calls. We only answer calls that either identify the caller, or we recognize the number. No more pressure from insistent callers from charities. And for those charities that we are interested in supporting, we can now check Charity Navigator.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the site address, Warren. We screen our calls now hoping to eliminate having to talk to promoters. One time, we received a call from an adjacent county's police organization. I told them we lived in a different county, and they protested, saying we did not! I found out they were not the police, but promoters working out of LA, CA. Our phone exchange was grouped with Fairfax County's even though we live in Loudoun County, VA. I hate phone solicitation, but then I guess everyone does, which is why reading your blog is to everyone's benefit.
ReplyDeleteIt's no surprise, Jim, that you are ahead of me. Grace and EB, you're welcome. Thanks to my sister who told me about Charity Navigator.
ReplyDeleteI am also familiar with Charity Navigator. It's a shame such a thing is necessary, but it is.
ReplyDeleteWhere does charity begin? That is a good question. Someone I know stopped donating to organizations and, each Christmas season, rather than write a big check for a tax break or to an organized charity, she writes a couple of checks to families she knows who are in financial straits. There's no tax credit, but it's direct help to people in need. It's something to think about.
I count on Charity Navigator. We really need to get the message out there. Some of the worst charities have the most heart-wrenching commercials and celebrity endorsements. "Just 19 dollars a month will change a life ..." if you don't mind only 50 cents going to services!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for this link!
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of Charity Navigator, but will check them out. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteCharity Navigator is new to me but I long ago stopped giving my $$ to organizations I didn't know personally. I am pretty sure my money goes to support the things I think I am paying for.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a lot of money and I want it to do the most good.
It takes a certain kind of villain to bilk people who are trying to help others. I hope the people running those fake "charities" are in very hot water.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the link, Warren. I hadn't heard of Charity Navigator and I want to make sure that my donations are doing the most good.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info, Warren. I think I'm on the list of every charity out there, something that happens to those of us of a certain age, I think. I hate the charities that send their pleas with the envelopes stating in large red capital letters "Final Notice." Of course, it isn't. My friend's elderly mother fell for that and contributed to every plea for money that came into her mail box, until my friend, had her move in with her and could monitor what she was giving to. The only large organization I give to now is Doctors without Borders. I've been giving to Audubon, however now that I'm getting mail for donations to them at least twice a month, I think I'm going to stop. To me it's a waste of money to be sending all that mail with address labels, etc. I do give to local charities that have a good reputation. I never ever contribute to anyone calling on the phone. I'm going to save that link, Warren, in case I want to donate to what looks like a worthy cause that I'm not sure of.
This is really nothing new. I remember, way back in the '50's, collecting money to "save pagan babies." What exactly that meant, or where the money went, I have no idea. I think it just never occurred to us, as children who believed everything adults told us, to ask.
ReplyDeleteI tend to be with Ramona. When I was teaching special education, first in inner city Baltimore and later in an alternate school, I provided untold pairs of sneakers, winter jackets, school supplies, and totally unglamorous but very much appreciated packages of socks, underwear and hygeine supplies.
I still drop off things for the last school where I taught.
Since I know how difficult it can be for a released prison inmate to re-integrate into society, especially some with no family support, I've been known to pay the first month's expenses in a specialized reentry community program for someone I think has a good chance of making it if given half an opportunity.
Now I tend to give to charities that have a personal meaning for me. One of my daughters participates in a yearly "Penguin Plunge" for an animal shelter. A brother is active in raising money for the public library in the town where I grew up. A memorial scholarship fund was established for a sister at the university where she taught before she died.
I don't officially tithe, but I do use 10% as a base figure for contributions. I don't especially worry about whether the contributions are tax deductible or not.