As odd as this sounds,
making a charitable donation isn't easy. Placing money into
a receptacle, donating clothes, a car, property or securities are
all laudable and important actions. But a question to any
prospective donor should always be... "How much of what I donate
is actually making it to the persons' who need it?"
It is possible now, in
this day and age of the internet, to examine a prospective charity
before donating. Most charities must be registered within
their respective State. In most cases, the specific State's
Attorneys General Office will have information on their website
that will connect you to specific offices within the charities State
that will provide more detailed information. This link will
take you to a page that has an up-to-date list of Attorneys General
contact information...
National Association of Attorneys General.
In addition, the Internal
Revenue Service also maintains information on Charities...
IRS Charities
After looking at quite
a number of websites that provide information about individual charities,
I suggest
Charity Navigator. Charity Navigator appears to be providing
open, unbiased information about national and international charities
that are soliciting donations within the United States and abroad.
Lastly, the Federal Government
is providing assistance and services during times of need throughout
the world. To see what they are doing visit the
U.S. State Department Website.
Please
don't forget that sometimes the best place to spend
additional time might be with your own family, a
relative, a loved-one, an old-friend, a co-worker, or
someone you hardly know that might need some
companionship.
If you have any additional
suggestions to help a person select a charity, please
click here to send
a suggestion.
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