How does a person know if a charity is reputable?

Question

For instance, the organzations or the non-profit organizations that ask for donations?

Answer 1

Check with the Better Business Bureau.  I limit my donations to National organizations and to very local ones. That way I can verify the results of their work.

Answer 2

We learned about those and most are not actually helping anyone, especially the TV Evangelists.  They keep most or all of the money that is donated and they are all way past millionairs.

I know the way they donate it was explained to us.  They get to deduct their expenses, then only a small portion of what is left over helps anyone.

Opray Winfrey has a thing called angel network and it is all donated and she doesn't take out for company expenses.

She builds hospitals, orphanages and helps battered women.

It was supriseing to me that the ones who usually get the most money to the people are movie stars.  Religions was lowest on the list of how much gets to the people.

Another place is for animals, to be spay or nutered, which stops abuse and over population of animals.

It is called PAWS and they donate almost half the expense of getting a pet spay or nutered.  The ones who run the place are volenteers who get nothing.  It is worked out with veteranians.

Answer 3

In my experience, I've learned to avoid donating over the phone to a telemarketer, as a portion of your donation usually goes toward telemarketers salaries.  For example, I know of a children's wish granting org. (I won't use names, but it is not Make A Wish) that uses telemarketers and if you donate through the telemarketer, only 20% of your donation goes to the actual wish org.  The telemarketing company keeps the other 80%. The charity itself, however, was reputable and granted many wishes to kids.  I would donate right to the charity itself if I were you!!  For that same org. that I spoke about above, if you called the charity itself and donated, 100% of your donation went to the wish kids!!  Most charities have a website where you can learn a lot about them.