Be An Informed Donor
This time of year brings out the best and the worst in human nature. Many people find joy in being able to help those less fortunate than themselves. And a large number of people are quite ready, willing, and able to take advantage of that. Mailboxes are full of requests for donations from local and national charities. Phone lines are abuzz with the same kind of requests. How does one go about protecting themselves from bogus charity groups without becoming a complete and total scrooge? One good way is to know your non-profit. A common practice by many scammers now days is to give prospective donor victims a name that sounds like a well known and respected charity. Before giving to a group claiming to be a non-profit check them out. Many states have an outreach campaign to educate donors in the ways of “giving wisely”, offering videos, brochures, handouts, and checklist tablets for telephone solicitations. These resources are free and usually available on-line or can be mailed to your home or business. By all means give to those in need this holiday season, but remember, “give wisely”.