Giving to fewer charities can result in more of your money going to programs you care about. Read more about this, tax-free IRA donations, avoiding scams and other year-end giving tips.
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Giving to fewer charities can result in more of your money going to programs you care about. Read more about this, tax-free IRA donations, avoiding scams and other year-end giving tips. Charity identities matter. Among other things, scam “charities” adopt names confusingly similar to legitimate groups — and siphon off dollars needed for good works. Using an EIN is the quickest path to successful charity research. While charity names can be similar, no two charities have the same EIN. Read the SGO call for charities [...] Today’s New York Times reports that the Japanese Red Cross says it doesn’t need donations, few charities actually work in Japan, and that U.S. organizations that are receiving donations in response to the Japan earthquake/tsunami disaster don’t have a plan for what they’ll do with the money. Let’s go slow on this. Read The [...] This week’s earthquake/disaster in Japan will bring out the scammers. They will view the disaster as an opportunity to make some easy money. Disguising themselves as a charity is a common scammer strategy. You can avoid the scammers with some easy checking. The following suggestions are taken from the SeriousGivers Top Tips for Avoiding [...] It’s a terrific time to be generous. With demand for charity services up, and donations to charity down, charities need our support now. Stick with your budget. Philanthropy is wonderful, but first make sure to take care of yourself and those who depend on you. Focus your giving on causes you care about. [...] Tampa Bay police apprehended two bogus solicitors using the name of a recognized police charity. The couple had also been active in Orlando, and when apprehended were headed to Louisiana. While the report doesn’t mention it, I’m guessing they looked for cash donations. If a donor wrote a check to the police charity, the [...] The IRS has released a summertime warning on top tax-related scams. Abuse of charitable organizations and deductions grabbed 4th place, in the company of phishing, return preparer fraud, hiding income offshore and frivolous arguments. Elaborating on charity abuse, the IRS reported The IRS continues to observe the misuse of tax-exempt organizations. This includes arrangements [...] The New York Daily News reports that Andrew Cuomo, NY’s attorney general, has sued a local “charity” called Feed the Hungry over the handling of its car donation program. The suit alleges that less than 2% of the proceeds of the donation program went to helping the homeless. The suit is part of a [...] Based on an investigation that included use of undercover investigators who went to work for the telemarketing companies, NY attorney general Andrew Cuomo’s complaints allege the telemarketers
The Orange County Register published a terrific reminder about the dangers of “charities” seeking donations through paid telemarketers. Charity scams and telemarketing frequently go hand-in-hand. I don’t give to “charity” telemarketing appeals by paid marketing groups — and encourage you to follow my lead. Read the story. Read our Red Light warning on charity [...] |
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Copyright © 2012 Edward W. Long | The Smarter Giving Guy | All Rights Reserved |
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