Philanthropy
None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.
If you only read a few
Donate to local charities to help those in need and improve your state, town, or neighborhood.
It helps those in need and makes your community better.
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Use Guidestar to access free copies of non-profit IRS Form 990s, which are legally required to be disclosed upon request.
Publicly disclosing the 990 is a requirement for tax-exempt status.
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Question the effectiveness of large charities with high executive pay or excessive marketing spend, such as breast cancer foundations spending on NFL partnerships.
Funds might be better spent on research rather than retail marketing or high CEO salaries.
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Use the phrase 'not today' when declining a donation request to feel less awkward than saying a flat 'no'.
it feels less crummy than a flat out no
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- Decline checkout donation requests immediately and politely with a calm, confident tone.1
Use grocery scrip programs where a percentage of your regular purchases goes to the fundraiser.
It allows you to support the cause without spending extra money by using funds you would spend anyway.
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support, donate, giving, money20
Donate directly to local food banks or community centers rather than large national charities.
Donate directly to clinics, hospitals, or patients struggling with care costs instead of research institutions, as these areas are often understaffed and underfunded.
Small amounts won't help research take off, but helping a practice can save lives directly.
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Search for companies matching disaster relief contributions dollar-for-dollar to double the impact of your donation.
It'll make it go further.
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Support local disaster relief efforts like the Red Cross, which provide essential services beyond major news events.
They deliver meals and supplies during disasters and have systems to notify military families of serious illness or death within hours.
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Donate locally to see the direct results of your contribution in your community.
It allows you to witness the programs and outcomes firsthand.
- Local donations for tangibles may have lower effect per dollar compared to ambitious global goals like deworming.
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Check a brand's IRS Form 990 to verify their charitable spending and ensure they are fulfilling promises made in marketing campaigns.
The form includes spending info required to be published, showing if your money is doing good.
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Use Amazon Smile or similar micro-donation programs for charities you would not otherwise support.
The retailer does not lose money on these donations.
- The donation amount is minuscule.
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Avoid giving your home address when donating online to prevent your information from being shared with other charities.
Charities may release your information to dozens of other organizations, leading to persistent mailing list issues.
- Some online donation forms claim to require an address even for credit card transactions.
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If you take the standard deduction, skip claiming small checkout donations on your taxes.
The amounts are too small to impact a threshold far higher than what is typically considered.
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Donate directly to local food banks or community centers rather than large national charities.
You know exactly where you are giving to.
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Look for 'non-event' fundraisers that allow you to send a check without attending luncheons, dinners, galas, or tournaments.
These options eliminate tickets, dress codes, and RSVPs, making giving easy and hassle-free.
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Research specific charities you intend to support via Google rather than relying solely on pre-made 'worst charities' lists.
Lists may be incomplete or outdated, and it is easier to verify the few charities you actually give to.
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Write old-fashioned checks for charitable donations to create cleared records that serve as excellent tax evidence.
Cleared checks provide strong documentation for taxes.
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Use state Secretary of State business licensing databases to uncover related entities of large nonprofits, as they may funnel money through multiple organizations.
Large nonprofits may pass money to related entities, and checking these databases reveals how that money is actually used.
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Resist pressure to donate on the spot; vet the organization thoughtfully before giving.
Solicitation is designed to force uninformed decisions.
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Do not expect small charitable donations to affect your taxes unless you itemize deductions.
If you do not itemize, the donation makes no difference to your tax liability.
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Decline store charity requests if the company does not match public donations.
If they don't match, they may be using your money solely for corporate image enhancement rather than genuine care for the charity.
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Focus on unrestricted cash donations over restricted ones when giving to nonprofits.
Supplies do not pay themselves.
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Support smaller, local charities which may be more transparent and just as deserving as large national organizations.
Small charities are usually more transparent.
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Support charities that provide evidence their interventions actually work, such as proving bednets reduce malaria deaths, rather than just confirming money is spent on them.
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Recognize that nonprofits require operational spending, and demanding minimal overhead can drive organizations to operate poorly.
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skeptical, often, avoid, funds11
Be skeptical of awareness charities that spend a large percentage of funds on marketing and administration rather than direct aid or research.
Be skeptical of fundraisers that promise prizes to children.
The odds of winning are often very low, despite promises of wonderful prizes.
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When donating to a school fundraiser, explicitly state that it is a direct donation to avoid receiving unwanted physical products.
Failing to clarify can result in receiving large quantities of items like pizza kits or cinnamon rolls instead of just contributing funds.
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Recognize that the belief all charity money must go directly to animals is misinformation.
This belief prevents donations from being used for bills and maintenance.
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Be skeptical of awareness charities that spend a large percentage of funds on marketing and administration rather than direct aid or research.
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Be skeptical of charities using emotional appeals like 'give from the heart' or flashing sad images, as these tactics are often used by scammers.
These tactics aim to bypass rational scrutiny.
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- Avoid charities with names containing 'kids', 'cops', or 'cancer' unless thoroughly vetted, as scammers often use these terms to exploit sympathy.1
Understand that administration fees in charities are necessary for operations and do not inherently indicate a scam.
fundraising and salaries are necessary expenses
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Avoid feeling pressured by cashiers who are forced to ask for donations; remember they are just following instructions.
Cashiers may face threats of termination if they do not achieve enough positive responses.
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Be cautious of charities that rely heavily on paid celebrity endorsements.
The cost of endorsements sometimes exceeds the money raised.
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Ensure disaster relief funds are managed by legitimate organizations rather than individual unverified accounts.
People can easily fabricate victim profiles.
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Teach children to ask how much the organization takes versus how much goes into the fund when receiving fundraiser materials.
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