Charity Navigator advises that all potential donors take the time to ask charities questions about their programs, mission and goals before they decide to support them. The organization has developed a list of questions to ask before you begin the act of supporting a charity.

• Can your charity clearly communicate who they are and what they do?

• Can your charity define their short-term and long-term goals?

• Can your charity tell you the progress it has made (or is making) toward its goal?

• Do your charity’s programs make sense to you?

• Can you trust your charity? (Note: Charity Navigator says: “Our research has shown that the overwhelming majority of charities in this country are not only responsible and honest, but well-managed.”)

• Are you willing to make a long-term commitment to your organization?

For more details about these questions to ask, go to www.charitynavigator.org.

• • •

The Better Business Bureau and the Attorney General’s Office both offer these tips on giving to charity:

• Watch out for similar names, especially those using names closely associated with a well-known charity, using familiar words such as United, American, or National.

• Do not be pressured to make an immediate gift, nor give on impulse.

• Question vague appeals.

• Do not give out personal information to phone solicitors.

• Do not give cash. Make checks payable to the charity, never an individual.

• Keep records of your donations.

• If you want a tax deduction, make sure the organization is a charity. Know the difference between “tax deductible” and “tax exempt.” Tax deductible means you can deduct your donation on your federal income tax return. Tax-exempt means the charity does not have to pay taxes. A donation to a tax-exempt charity is not always tax deductible. Ask your charity for a receipt stating that your donation is tax deductible.

• Ask the charity for written information on its programs and finances.

• Verify that the charity is registered to solicit. (Check with the Secretary of State’s Office.)

• Report bad practices.

Advice

Traci Brewer of the Better Business Bureau of Central/Northern Arizona, says: “Part of what we’re doing is educating people that it’s important to look at more than the finances of a charity. Look at the organization as a whole. We need to get people in the public to look at organizations globally, without emphasizing one area more than another.”

Tim Delaney, The Center for Leadership, Ethics, and Public Service, says: “In choosing a charity, ask questions first of yourself, about where your passions lie. Where do I want to give my money? It’s like investing in a business, but your return is not in dollars, but rather something for society at large. Then, ask questions of the charity leadership, find out about programming, what they’re trying to do, and get a feel for the charity. Gather facts and information, and then make the gut call to invest or not.” —