As all natural disasters do, the recent typhoon in the Philippines reminds us how precious life is. You have probably seen requests at stores, around school and on the Internet in recent days to donate to various organizations to help with the relief in the Philippines. When asked, “Do you make a donation?” I feel guilt and want to help people who are clearly in need, but I question where my money is going. It’s understandable that organizations have to stay afloat and fund themselves, but it’s hard to give up your money if you don’t really know where it’s going.
After doing some research, I found that this seemed to be a concern for many people. The Better Business Bureau, a government agency that polices business practices, has a comprehensive list of charities on their website. Clicking on the name of a charity brings you to a page that has a list of the 20 “Standards for Charity Accountability.” These include things like whether or not the materials the charity distributes are truthful, if they have an adequate budget plan and if they have a way to analyze their effectiveness. One standard, “Fund Raising Expenses,” says that an organization shouldn’t spend more than 35 percent on fund raising efforts (meaning that they aren’t spending so much on fundraising efforts that they aren’t giving money to their cause). Charitynavigator.org is another website I found that has information about legitimacy and even has popular issues listen conveniently on the homepage.
Aside from these great websites, an important way to know that what you are giving is truly going to a charitable cause is to do something hands on. Community service or donating old clothes to Goodwill is always an option to know that your kind efforts are not going to waste. With this being said, the perfect opportunity presents itself on campus this week with the annual Carolina vs. Clemson Blood Drive!
You can check out those charity websites at – http://www.bbb.org/charity-reviews/national/#R
http://www.charitynavigator.org/