Distinguish Between The Genuine And Fake Public Charities

By Stephanie Wilson


Most citizens are willing to donate to charity organizations but are skeptical about the beneficiaries of their donations. Fake public charities are in the habit of pocketing the donations instead of channeling them to the needy. This is very disheartening to donors since they feel fleeced. To stop this trend, there is need for donors to verify the activities and existence of these charitable organizations before making their contributions. Here is a checklist that will help you establish the credibility of a charity.

Demand details of the course, mission or aim of the fundraiser. Some missions given by such organizations are fake and unverifiable. For instance, if the agent points at a disaster like drought, it is likely that such information is available on news. You have a right to decline the request if the mission is not clear and verifiable.

Charity contributions by individuals or organizations are exempted from taxation. The fundraiser must therefore provide details to enable you include the contributions in your tax returns. Where such details are not provided, they are unclear, or unverifiable, you should halt your contribution until you verify. You will be forced to pay taxes on funds that you never used for personal benefit.

There are charities that settle for names that sound or appear similar to those of popular humanitarian organizations. This is one of the tactics used in defrauding donors. Close resemblance is used to hoodwink donors who are not too keen on the name. Since this is a cause for alarm, the best thing is to verify the existence of such an organization. This is one of the clearest signs of fraud.

A fundraiser should never push you to contribute in a hurry. This only happens when the agent does not want you to question his mission or realize that something is wrong with the campaign. You are likely to fall for the trick especially when money is readily available. Do not give into pressure. Hold on until such a time when you can ascertain that the deal is genuine. This will prevent your money from going to the wrong beneficiaries.

There are organizations that claim to be years old in charity yet have nothing tangible to show for their existence. Pick the name and check online for news about their activities and existence. Should there be any doubts, halt any donation action. At least a few success stories and the latest photographic evidence is a reasonable threshold.

The government regulates and sanctions all charity organizations. The licensing bodies provide their details on their websites for public access and verification. You should check the administrators responsible for these organizations and the activities they are sanctioned to undertake. This will indicate whether they are genuine and reliable or not. Since the details are available online, you can verify them anytime.

There are numerous verification options when the credibility of a charity is in question. They include use of SMSs and online portals for accrediting bodies. If a fundraiser is hesitant to provide the details you are asking for, ignore the request and alert law enforcement officials. Such an action will ensure that money meant for the needy gets to them.




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