The Better Business Bureau measures charities against 20 standards in areas such as governance, financial management, and privacy protection. If you’re thinking of making a donation, you can visit ny.give.org for reports on roughly 11,000 charities.
The Metro New York Better Business Bureau offers these tips:
- Don’t feel pressured to give on the spot, whether from a telemarketer, a door-to-door solicitor or a friend’s post on Facebook. It’s usually safer to give directly to your selected charity after checking them out yourself.
- Review websites to get basics. Details about a charity’s mission, program, and finances should be available on its site.
- Get the facts behind emotional appeals. Before you give, get specifics about how, when and where the charity makes a difference.
- Look at the entire picture. By themselves, spending ratios are not a good measure of charity value. Better Business Bureau Charity Reports at ny.give.org offer a full picture of a charity’s practices.
- Don’t assume every soliciting organization is tax exempt as a charity. You can check an organization’s tax status at www.irs.gov/app/eos and its New York State charity registration at charitiesnys.com.