4 Simple Criterions To Choose A Trustworthy Charitable Organization

By Author: Gurudutta Mohanty
Total Articles: 2
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Some people want to donate funds to charitable organizations to make a difference to the society, whereas others donate funds for charitable purposes to get income tax deduction. But every person wants to donate funds only after evaluating the credibility and trustworthiness of the organization. Nowadays, most of the charitable organizations have hosted dedicated websites to clearly convey information about their mission, objectives, and the developmental projects run by them. The information posted on the websites of charitable organizations has made it easier for a person to select the right charitable organization. However, you also have to concentrate on some key points to determine the credibility and trustworthiness of the individual charitable organizations.

1.Do Some Initial Research:
The official website can provide you information about the nature, location and type of developmental projects run by the charitable organization. But you cannot choose the charity option based purely based on the data posted on the website. There are many fraudsters and scam artists who have hosted websites to make ...
... quick bucks by defrauding the innocent donors. So it becomes essential to refer to some additional sources to evaluate the credibility of the organization. If the organization is promoting charity over some time, it must have received a specific amount of media and press coverage. You can refer to the media reports to find out if the organization is spending the charity money in an exact manner mentioned on its website.

2.Check if the Donation is Tax Deductible:
You may not be interested in getting tax deductions by contributing funds to promote charity in India and other developing countries. But it is always advisable to check with the contact person of the charitable organization, if your donation qualifies for tax deduction. Most of the organizations raising funds for real charity ensure that the donors are eligible to claim tax deductions for the amount of money donated by them. If donation to a specific organization does not make your eligible to claim tax deductions, you have to spend some additional time in checking its credibility and reputation.

3.Inquire about the Funds Utilization:
Every donor expects his full contribution to be used to support the poor and underprivileged people. But the policy regarding utilization of the donations varies from one organization to another. Some of the charitable organizations ensure that the complete donation money goes towards the actual cause mentioned on their website. At the same time, many charitable organizations deploy a part of the total donation received from various donors. Often the high overhead expenses of the organization also have a direct impact on the percentage of the donation spent towards the real cause. You can even consider donating funds to microfinance institutions in India to offer direct financial support to the borrowers.

4.Explore the Payment Options:
Most of the charitable organizations allow donors to transfer funds through the traditional as well as online payment models. In addition to handing over cash and writing checks, you can make quick payments using the online payment gateway incorporated in the website of the organization. But you must avoid making payment over the phone. Most of the fraudsters deploy telemarketers to collect donation from the innocent people by sharing wrong information. If you are using the offline payment options, the cash or check must be deposited at the office of the organization. At the same time, you can also use the online payment options to do the funds transfer using your debit or credit card, bank account or PayPal account.

Author Info:
Gurudutta Mohanty has a distinct flair for writing with particular interest in penning research-based articles. He is adept at writing articles for the web, and has attained mastery over a number of subjects in both technical and non-technical fields. He has written many research based articles highlighting various aspects of Microfinance India.

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