Con artists always come up with charity schemes when disasters happen, so before you jump to make donations to disaster relief efforts, make sure you know where your money will really go.
It will take months to repair all the damage left in Hurricane Florence"s wake, so resist the urge to respond immediately just because someone calls, emails, or posts a charity appeal on social media.
"Not all of them, unfortunately, are legitimate charities." said Erich Ebel, Communications Director at the Secretary of State"s office in Olympia.
The Secretary of State"s Office is where every charity must register if they want to solicit donations in Washington.
Step one: Always go online to the Secretary of State"s charities page and verify that the charity is legally allowed to ask you for a donation.
"You can also find out how much of that donation goes to the actual cause as opposed to overhead or administrative costs," Ebel explained.
But don"t stop there. Step 2: Check Charity Navigator, a non-profit website that gives you a detailed financial and service breakdown for virtually every charity in the country.
Step 3: Look up the charity on the Charity Watch website. It"s another good non-profit site where you can verify charities and compare their profiles.
And don"t forget Give.org, the Better Business Bureau"s charities website. That"s step 4.
Like the other sites, Give.org also helps you spot red flag for charities to avoid.
"If they need cash and they need it right away, if there"s an immediacy, that"s a big red flag," said Ebel. "You want to stay away from those kinds of charities."
Bottom line: No matter how compelling the appeal, remember there"s no reason to act right now. Always take your time and investigate so you know exactly where your money is going.
Source: http://komonews.com/news/consumer/here-are-4-websites-to-check-out-charities-before-you-donate-money
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