The Factors to Consider When Giving For Charity

Giving is a life principle that will always bear fruit. If you have some extra money, you can choose to be a responsible member of the community by donating to a charity of your choice. This will mean sharing your fortunes with others by offering your support to their causes. Nevertheless, choosing the right group can prove challenging. There are certain pitfalls that need to be avoided when choosing a charitable organization. The factors to consider when giving for charity include:

· Personal experience

Donors choose a charity based on their past and present personal experiences. An illness or other traumatic events that may have arisen may have caused you to go out looking for assistance from a charity. The time arises when you wish to give back to the charity.

· Personal interest

The charitable organization that you get to choose is usually based on your likes and preferences. Therefore, a lover of dogs will usually donate to animal shelters for dogs within their locality while a religious person chooses to donate to their local church.

· Find out about the expenses

A charity may be good as far as you know. However, you might feel cheated if you find out later that most of the donations go out to pay for salaries for top officers and the personnel who called you up to make your contribution. According to expert advice, efficient groups will normally spend a minimum of 65% of the donations to support the causes. The percentage may be lower for charities that are known to support controversial causes including abortion rights. This is attributed to the fact that such groups experience troubles raising money.

· Volunteer

One of the ways of getting information about a charitable organization is to consider volunteering before submitting your donations. Hands-on experience will give you important information pertaining to how well an organization is managed. Furthermore, you get an opportunity to find out how effectively the group is accomplishing its mission. You find out whether the organization's advocacy, services or programs are making a difference. By volunteering your time, participate in a fundraiser or working in the committee you get to find out how effective the organization is.

· Protect yourself

Make sure to protect yourself by avoiding to give out personal or credit card information that is in response to door-to-door, e-mail or phone appeals. The group may be fraudulent. Furthermore, avoid giving cash- it is advisable to mail a cheque to the group.

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Tips To Consider When Choosing a Charity

Our world is in crisis and therefore, many excellent causes have been unveiled to combat the misfortunes. Charitable giving is recommended highly by every organization on earth. However, it can be challenging to choose which charitable organization to donate to. You may be wondering whether it is right to support an environmental group that has just come knocking or the children's home that has sent you heart wrenching pictures of orphans. The tips to consider when choosing a charity include:

· Give to a charity you know

According to expert advice, it is important to give to a group that you know. Avoid giving your hard-earned money to strangers. As long as you know the charity and the work that they are involved in, you will have a high degree of confidence that your donation will be channeled to good use.

· Make sure the organization is the one that you think it is

The organization that you choose may be doing nothing for the local community. The charity that says it supports wishes for destitute children could have adopted a name that is similar to a well-respected organization. Therefore, it is important not to assume you know the charitable organization and what it does.

· Make sure the charitable organization is legitimate

In verifying the legitimacy of the charity, you may consider the list that is provided by the tax man. Find out whether the organization is registered as a charity. You can also consider checking with the charities bureau that is responsible for policing charitable organizations within the state. They are an important resource that offers a wealth of information pertaining to charities.

· Find out whether the gift is tax deductible

Some of the nonprofit organizations that seek to solicit gifts from the public are not charities. Therefore, you will not be able to deduct your contribution at tax time.

· Understand the organization's work

Different charities handle life challenges in different ways. For instance, charities that seek to lower the number of teen pregnancies can do so by advancing sexual abstinence, supporting programs that build self-esteem among teenage girls or teaching sex education. Therefore, you may need to support a group that addresses a cause using a methodology that addresses your needs.

· Ask questions

Charitable organizations need to provide information pertaining to their programs as well as expenses. Find out by asking how your giving will be spent. Also find out how many people were assisted over the past year and in what way they were assisted. If you are not satisfied with the answers do not give.

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