- Image via Wikipedia
If you want to donate to charity, but are concerned about a charity being legal, you have come to the right place. Unfortunately, there are many people out there who are waiting to take advantage of kind hearted people like yourself. Luckily, there are ways to distinguish if a charity is legit or not. Follow these steps to finding a real charity for donations.
1. If you are in doubt if a charity is legitimate or not, call your local attorney general. The attorney general’s office can tell you if the charity is registered in your state or not.
2. Do some research on the charity. A simple online search or asking around for references should give you enough information to know if the charity is real or not.
3. Find out the exact name of the charity. You always want to find out the exact name of the charity before you write a check or send any money. Fraudulent charities will often make up a name that sounds really similar to a real charity.
4. Make sure the charity is registered with 501c3 status with the IRS. If the charity is not registered as a non-profit, you won’t be able to write the donation off on your taxes.
5. Stick to local charities. As much as you can, stick to local charities that you know and trust. You can go to the local homeless center, ask your church group, or even ask your neighbors for recommendations.
If you are ready to donate to charity, don’t let the few bad guys out there ruin it for you. Do a little research before you donate and you should be just fine. Most importantly, if you have a gut feeling that something just isn’t right about a particular charity, move on to another one. Trust your instincts.
