It is important to give with your heart–but be guided by facts.
To determine if an organization asking for donations is legitimate, search for
it on our website: www.guidestar.org. All nonprofits in our database are
recognized by the IRS. Our basic search results also tell whether contributions
to a specific organization are deductible. There is no charge to use our basic
search.If you do not find a nonprofit on GuideStar, ask to see its IRS
letter of determination, or, if it is faith-based, its listing in an official
church directory. If the organization is not on GuideStar and cannot produce one
of these items, do not give to it. Another approach is to ignore the unsolicited requests your
employer receives and establish a giving plan based on her giving priorities.
You can research charities on GuideStar to identify the ones doing work your
employer would want to support. Bob Ottenhoff, GuideStar, Williamsburg, Va. While worthiness is always in the eyes of the donor, there are
places to go to for help. The Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance
produces in-depth evaluative reports on national charities. These are available
at www.give.org. To reduce donor mail volume: 1) Decide which charities you want
to support and discard the rest. 2) Focus your giving. Twenty gifts of $10 each
can put you on many lists. 3) At the time of the donation, let the charity know
you do not want your name and address shared with others. 4) If you ask a
charity to remove your name from its mailing list, send it all versions of the
mailing labels you received on its appeal letters. 5) Register with the Mail
Preference Service of the Direct Marketing Association (www.dmaconsumers.org) so
that it can add you to the do-not-mail file. Bennett Weiner, Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance,
Arlington, Va
Send Us Your Questions. Are you wrestling with family issues, business governance
or succession decisions, investment or estate planning dilemmas, problems
related to philanthropic activities or foundations, or a similar predicament? We
invite you to email a detailed question to advisorsforum@worth.com.
|
