The Charity Checklist: Where Should You Donate Your Money?

Are you trying to find the best charity that you can donate to? Giving to organizations that support a mission you believe in can be incredibly rewarding and can help those in need.

However, it’s important to make thoughtful decisions with your generous proceeds. To learn more about how to find a great charity to donate to, keep reading our checklist that can help you find a great cause in no time.

Find a Cause You’re Passionate About

To find an organization you can feel great about supporting, it’s a good idea to find a charity with a cause and mission that you feel very passionate about. This will allow you to give money to a cause that you completely feel will make a difference. Do some research to find a cause that is meaningful to you or your family for the best results.

For example, if you’re interested in Criminal Justice, you may consider donating to a charity like Arnold Ventures, founded by Laura and John Arnold.

Research the Organization

After you’ve decided what cause you wish to support, you can narrow down your charity organization options. Do some research on the organizations you’re interested in to learn more about their accomplishments. This will give you an idea of how successful the organization is in making the most of their donations, allowing you to feel that your donation will make a real difference.

Look at what the organization has done in accomplishing their past goals as well as what goals they are currently working towards. Review the charity’s website to learn how transparent they are with how they allocate their donations. Look at the organization’s structure and learn more about the founder as well as those running the organization to get an idea of their reputation and efforts towards their charity’s mission.

Look at who is on the board of the charity to make sure there are a clear and professional leadership and support team in place. It’s also important to review the charity’s financials. This should be readily available on their website if they are a transparent and trusted organization.

This will allow you to learn more about how the charity’s money is being used so that you can get an idea of how your donation will be used. Make sure that there are an impressive amount of funds going to the cause and that the bulk of the profits are not being spent on overhead. If the charity’s financials are not available online, you should be able to request a financial report from the organization to help you feel confident about how your funds are being used.

It can also be helpful to review information regarding the charity’s marketing efforts. The organization’s marketing campaign will be able to tell you a lot about the goals and morals of the charity to make sure you are supporting an organization that is in line with your own morals. This will also allow you to see how committed the charity is to their mission and that they are coming up with fresh and successful marketing campaigns to support their charity.

Think About Your Donations as an Investment

It’s easy to give money to a cause and then never think about it again. Yet, to truly support a cause it’s best to think of your donation as an investment. It’s best to give larger amounts of money to an organization or two rather than giving small amounts to a handful of organizations. It’s also a good idea to keep in mind that donations to qualifiable organizations are tax write-offs.

To make your donations ones that are important to you, consider finding a charity that you can create a relationship with by supporting them over time and following up on how your donations are changing lives and making a difference. This will allow you to find out if the organization is accomplishing its goals and that they are staying committed to allocating their funds to help others.

Having evidence of impact will allow you to keep a relationship with the charity, as they have proven that your funds are being put to good use. Ask about their future goals and analyze how their activities and results match up to make sure you have chosen a successful organization to support. If an organization is continually producing great results and operates efficiently that have proved that they are making a positive impact which will allow you to feel comfortable donating to them year after year.

Avoid Donating Over the Phone

Even if one of your favorite organizations calls to ask you for a donation, it’s best to avoid donating to causes over the phone. Often, the operator that is calling is for-profit, meaning they may be taking a large percentage of your donation. Additionally, making a donation online makes it easier to track how much you’ve donated as well as how your money has been used to support the cause you are passionate about.

The Charity Checklist: Find a Great Cause to Support

Donating to a charity is a generous act that can be rewarding for donors while also helping those in need. However, to make the most of your donations, it’s best to find a trusted organization that supports a mission that resonates with you. This will allow you to build a relationship with a charity that makes a real difference with your donations.

For additional financial advice, head to the “Business” section of our site.