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Avoiding “charity” scammers is an important part of smart giving. Every dollar scam “charities” take in is a dollar that could instead have gone to a strong charity doing valuable work with the funds entrusted to it. Join our Serious Givers email group now and we’ll send you our Top Tips for Avoiding “Charity” Scammers — a [...] If the organization solicits donations in California, it should be current on its filings with the California Registry of Charitable Trusts. Note that most churches and government agencies are not required to file with the Registry. Use the organization’s Federal employer identification number (FEIN) [nine digits, looks like 12-3456789] — if you don’t have that, be [...] Every dollar sleazy “charities” take in is a dollar that could instead have gone to a strong charity doing valuable work with the funds entrusted to it. The connection between sleazy “charities” and paid telemarketing can’t be denied — they frequently travel together. Just take a look at the results so far from Operation False Charity [...] Don’t donate to an organization that refuses to provide its Form 990 — it either doesn’t want your support or has something to hide. And in either case, it is likely breaking the law. A wealth of information is available from an organization’s most recent IRS tax return (Form 990, for example). In addition to telling [...] So, without that telephone call from that pleasant young man, you never would have known about the great work his charity is doing. He did you a favor, and you’d like to make a donation. Don’t do it! First, do you have enough information about the charity? Do you have their latest IRS Form 990? I [...] There are many strong charities out there, doing valuable work and making careful use of the moneys entrusted to them. They deserve support. Unfortunately, there are other organizations which do little (if any) meaningful work with the funds entrusted to them. We’ll call these “weak” charities. Some are even scams, dressed up in “charity” clothing. We’ve created [...] To accept donations that are deductible as charitable contributions, an organization must be a church, government organization or have received a ruling from the IRS. Those who have received such a ruling from the IRS are listed in IRS Publication 78. So, if a group is asking you to make a charitable donation and it’s not [...] |
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