04Dec 2014 by Fred Crooks
Donating to Charities: Where is your money really going?

Donating to Charities: Where is your money really going?

Archived Posts, Non Profit Principles: Steering You in the Right Direction
When donating to charities, especially this holiday season, do you know where your money is going? Before giving money to a homeless person, many people stop and think about what they might use the money for. Are they going to use it to support a drug addiction or will they actually use it for food?  This type of mindset should be used when deciding to give to a charity. People tend to give to better known philanthropies such as the Salvation Army, Feed the Children, the United Way.  On a list of top-money raising charities there is Fidelity Charitable, which most people have never heard of.  Yet people have given an amazing amount of money to this charity.  Fidelity Charitable is a branch of a huge Boston based management firm…
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07Jan 2014 by William Simi
Donors Beware – Don’t Fall for Charity Scams Following Disasters

Donors Beware – Don’t Fall for Charity Scams Following Disasters

Not For Profit
The IRS warns consumers not to fall for bogus charity scams. They often occur in the wake of major disasters like the recent tornadoes in the Midwest or the typhoon in the Philippines. Thieves play on the goodwill of people who want to help disaster victims. They pose as a real charity in order to steal money or get private information to commit identity theft. The scams use different tactics. Offering charity relief, criminals often: -Claim to be with real charities to gain public trust. -Use names similar to legitimate charities. -Use email to steer people to bogus websites that often look like real charity sites. -Contact people by phone or email to get them to ‘donate’ money or give their financial information. The IRS offers the following tips to…
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