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How to Avoid Charity Scams.

February 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Many people want to give to charities to help others out. There are many great charities that these people can give to, but, there are also many charity scams out there. If you are giving to charity you want to know that your donation is going to help the people that you meant for it to help. Although it is difficult to be absolutely positive your donation is going where you intended for it to go, there are a few things that you can watch out for to help you be a little bit more sure that you are avoiding the scams. Here are a few of the things you should do or watch for to try to avoid being scammed.

  1. Donate items: Most scams are people trying to collect money. If you are giving to a charity that is asking for toys for kids, food, clothes, etc. then it is probably not a scam. Most real charities will accept almost anything. If the charity you are trying to donate to refuses to accept what you are trying to donate then you should probably go somewhere else.

  2. Donate to well know organizations: Donating to a well know charity organization can help you avoid scams. Some examples are: American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Goodwill, etc. The best way to donate to these places is to actually go to the local office to make your donation.

  3. Avoid e-mail links: Do not donate online through a link in an e-mail. Even if the e-mail looks like it is legitimate that does not mean that it is. If you want to donate online, type in the address of the charity or do a web search to find it. Most charity websites will end in .org.

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Starting Your Own Charity.

February 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Is there a cause that you want to help with? Do you want to be able to make a difference and help people? If the answer is yes then maybe you have already thought about starting your own charity. Starting a charity takes some work but the difference that you may be able to make can make it all worth the time and effort. Here are the steps that you will need to take to get your charity started.

  1. What kind of charity: The first thing you will need to do is decide what kind of charity you would like to start. What cause will you be supporting? How will you be getting your funding?

  2. File appropriate paperwork: You will need to find out what paperwork your state requires to be able to start a charitable organization. You will probably need to write up a mission statement describing exactly what your charity is planning to accomplish and how you are going to do it. You will want to file to receive an employer identification number if you plan on hiring employees. Also you will want to apply for non-profit charitable organization status with the IRS.

  3. Get help: You may want to find people that will volunteer to help you get your charity started. There is a lot of work that will need to be done. You may want to ask friends, family, or co-workers. You should also set up the structure of your organization such as assigning a president, secretary, treasurer, etc. You may also consider contacting other similar charities to see if they can offer you any assistance with getting you organization up and running.

  4. Let people know: Once you have all of your paperwork approved and you have people to help you the next step is to let people know about your charity. One thing you can do is to ask people you know for donations, also have the people that are helping you ask people that they know. You may also want to set up a fund-raising event.

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