This month’s theme is focusing on our favorite charities. Giving
back to your community or helping a cause you support can be as rewarding for
you as it is for those who receive the help. There are so many worthy
organizations that it can sometimes be hard to know which ones are legitimate.
Even the legitimate ones don’t always end up dispersing funds the way they
should. Many spend more money on “administrative” costs than they do the people
they’re supposed to be helping. They might spend so much time fundraising that
the true cause becomes obscured. Recently, Wounded Warriors came under fire for
the way the organization spent money. That was a big, well-known charity, which
can make people wary of giving.
So how can you know which charities are spending money the right
way?
Tips:
1. Do some investigation - One
good place to check is Charity Navigator. This entity looks
at IRS forms to see how much of the donations are going to executive
compensation, as well as other program costs. The site also gives ratings based
on transparency when it comes to spending.
2. Try to find
organizations that spend 75% or more of donations on their stated mission.
3. Look at local
charities in your community. Sometimes you can see the results of your giving
in an immediate way, such as when you donate to a local food bank. You might
also choose to sit on the board or volunteer in some other way.
Here are some other
articles that might give you insight before you donate.
I
hope this gives you some good tips on how to choose the organization for your charitable
giving.
Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best
Selling Author of inspirational and contemporary romance, and women’s fiction
filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. Her latest release is COMING
HOME TO PARADISE…
About the book:
Thirty
years ago, desperation drove Elizabeth McCarthy to do the unthinkable when she abandoned
her infant daughter, Layla, to the care of her mother. Now, after years of
trying to outrun the memories and the guilt, Beth has come home to Shellwater
Key to make amends. She has survived deadbeat relationships, becoming a single
mother, and cancer, but now faces the most difficult battle of her life…finding
a way to connect with the legendary mother she was never able to please…and
earning the forgiveness of the daughter who has every reason to hate her. She
might even have a chance to find the missing piece of her heart when Layla’s
father arrives in town looking for answers.
Coming
Home To Paradise is a powerful story of a woman who never felt like she was
enough, despite being physically beautiful. It’s the story of a woman who has
been broken by life, and by illness, and who now only wants to make things
right. A story about discovering that it’s never too late to find true love…or
more accurately…find the true love that slipped away.
For
info visit Kristin’s website at: Kristin Wallace Author
Thanks for the great advice, Kristin!
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