Everywhere you turn, someone is asking for money.
It must work.
In 2005, individual donors gave $4.8 billion, accounting for 75 percent of all charitable giving in the state of Maryland, according to the most recent State of Giving report by the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers.
But with so many charities, and recent scandals about poorly managed agencies, it can be difficult choosing where to give.
“You?ll have a higher level of confidence in a charity if you get to know them first,” said Sarah Fawcett-Lee, president of the Maryland Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and senior director of development at Mercy Medical Center.
“Our members adhere to a code of ethics, and we encourage potential donors to research our agencies before making a financial commitment. Ask for a recent audited financial statement and annual report. Tour the facilities, visit Web sites and see the programs in action. You can even look for recent news articles about a charity on the Internet.”
The American Institute of Philanthropy offers tips for giving wisely.
First, donors must not feel pressured into contributing on the spot to an unfamiliar charity.
Instead, do research through the Charitable Organizations Division of the Maryland Secretary of State online at sos.state.md.us/charity.
Keeping records of donations for tax purposes and never giving cash are other tips from the institute.
A relatively new option for donors is online giving. When giving online, donors should print out and keep the record of their gift, according to the institute.
And avoid donating to sites that are not secure (the form that asks for payment information is secure if its url address begin with “https” rather than http).
More information
» For more tips on giving wisely and donating online, visit charitywatch.org.
