Checking Out Charities Before You Give
During the last quarter of the year many charities dial up their fund-raising efforts. An article in the Chicago Sun-Times on 9/18 gave some good counsel for deciding which causes to support. It recommended seeing what Charity Navigator and GuideStar have to say about organizations you're considering. Both rate charities on a variety of measures, including what percentage of their funds goes to program expenses as opposed to administrative and fundraising costs.
Matt's View
I found the Charity Navigator site to be more user friendly, as GuideStar requires some user information before providing feedback on requested charities.
In a related story, a federal law passed this year will soon make giving a bit more complicated. Among other things, if you itemize deductions on your tax return, receipts will be needed for all cash donations, seemingly even for coins dropped in Salvation Army kettles. The law also requires that donated items worth less than $500 be in "good" condition or better. No more using Goodwill and the Salvation Army as depositories for broken bikes and tattered jeans. The new rules go into effect next year.
This article filed in: Giving
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