Monday, June 12, 2017

Distinguish Between The Genuine And Fake Public Charities

By Stephanie Wilson


Most citizens are willing to donate to charity organizations but are skeptical about the beneficiaries of their donations. Fake public charities are in the habit of pocketing the donations instead of channeling them to the needy. This is very disheartening to donors since they feel fleeced. To stop this trend, there is need for donors to verify the activities and existence of these charitable organizations before making their contributions. Here is a checklist that will help you establish the credibility of a charity.

Request the fundraising agent to reveal the mission, course or aim of the donations sort. It is easy to recognize genuine reasons. However, there are outright fake reasons like the mention of an disaster or need that is nonexistent. Should the organization or its agent give you an unconvincing reason, hold back your donation for a more worthy course.

The government exempts contributions to charity from tax, whether they are made by individuals or organizations. Ask the fundraiser to provide the details you can use to claim exemption when filing your returns. If the fundraiser lacks the details, is unclear or provides information that is difficult to verify, you have an obligation to decline the invitation.

There are charities that settle for names that sound or appear similar to those of popular humanitarian organizations. This is one of the tactics used in defrauding donors. Close resemblance is used to hoodwink donors who are not too keen on the name. Since this is a cause for alarm, the best thing is to verify the existence of such an organization. This is one of the clearest signs of fraud.

Is the fundraiser pushing you so hard as if your donation is an emergency? Such high pressure tactics are meant to deny you a chance to think or scrutinize the validity of the charity work. Take your time and even if you have the money and are willing to contribute, do not follow the pace of another person. Conduct thorough background check on the organization and only proceed once you get a surety that the course and organization are genuine.

The years of operation or existence without success stories or verifiable results are an indicator of fraud. If a charity has been in education for two decades, there should be a few graduates who credit their success to the organization. Check media coverage or other internet sources for such evidence. In its absence you can conclude that the course is not genuine.

The government regulates and sanctions all charity organizations. The licensing bodies provide their details on their websites for public access and verification. You should check the administrators responsible for these organizations and the activities they are sanctioned to undertake. This will indicate whether they are genuine and reliable or not. Since the details are available online, you can verify them anytime.

An SMS option is provided to verify the authenticity of charity course or organizations and prevent loss of funds. Verify the details as provided by the fundraiser. If the course or organization is ascertained to be false, law enforcers should be notified to prevent continued fraud. This ensures that charity money benefits the intended persons.




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