According to the World Giving Index: "The United States has been the number one country on the WGI report for the last ten years, with a score of 58%. Of those surveyed, 72% reported helping a stranger, 61% reported donating to a charity, and 42% reported having volunteered their time to an organization..."
If you are interested, the small country of Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) with a population of only 54 million has ranked number two in the WGI.
During the holiday season, as individuals, we are often asked for donations by charitable organizations.
When deciding how much you can give to a charity and where your money will do the most good, there are some things to keep in mind. To help you make good decisions, there are groups who monitor, assess and evaluate the effectiveness of charities. Most people want to know that their money is going where it can help the most.
I have mentioned some of these groups in previous articles about charitable giving. The quotes are descriptions from the websites of the individual organizations describing their function.
BBB Wise Giving Alliance- "Misson: Helping donors give wisely, helping charities build trust"
Charity Watch. "The mission of CharityWatch, a nonprofit charity watchdog and rating organization, is to maximize the effectiveness of every dollar contributed to charity by providing donors with the information they need to make more informed giving decisions."
Charity Navigator. "Charity Navigator is a charity assessment organization that evaluates hundreds of thousands of charitable organizations based in the United States, operating as a free 501 organization."
You will want to do your homework before you contribute to a charity. Find out about the charity before you make a large donation. The above three groups can help you make a wise decision.
Labyrinth.com has an excellent article titled "Five Ways to Tell if a Charity is Legitimate" Review the article and you may avoid the pitfalls of giving money to a charity that does not really exist.
Other suggestions/notes:
A charity will have an EIN (Employee Identification Number) assigned by the IRS. The IRS maintains a list of Tax Exempt Organizations to search (irs.gov).
Do not send cash and beware of wire transfers when donating to a charity.
When possible send a check or use a credit card when you donate.
Avoid the pitfalls of the recurring donation/payment. Recurring payments automatically withdraw funds from your bank account or credit card without approval for each withdrawal. This is convenient but there are drawbacks. Recurring Withdrawals could have you overdrawn in your account, or worse if your personal financial information falls into the hands of scammers.
Lastly...When You Give, give wisely so that your money can do the most good. With a little research you can...Give with Confidence.
Please read my full Disclaimer and How I Can Help You
Visit my website: www.attorneybarbaradalvano.weebly.com for additional articles, information about free webinars and printable infographics