Giving to charity is one thing, but, at the end of the day, you want things to get done on the ground. Not all charitable organizations are as efficient or preoccupied with making a real change. You also have some organizations that are just plain fraudulent. This is why you must do your due diligence on any charity you were thinking of giving your money to. Let’s take a look at a few things you should consider when choosing a charity to support.
You first have to check what the charity does exactly. Some say they provide humanitarian aid, but that could mean anything. Do they focus on bringing bare necessities to impoverished communities? Or are they trying to focus more on long-term community-building efforts and education?
Different charities will have different approaches and it’s always better to know what their philosophy towards aid is. You can also decide to go with a charity that works on multiple fronts, or one that tackles a specific issue.
If you to help displaced populations, for instance, some charities like Alight work specifically on that. Giving to a smaller specialized charity will make results easier to track and these often tend to be more transparent. So, look at both options and make sure that you do your research on the projects they’ve worked on.
There’s also nothing forcing you to give your money to only one charity. It would be a good idea to assemble a list of charities that caught you like and rank them in order of which ones you trust the most and that align with your vision the best. You could also pick a few charities that have a more unorthodox approach or are just starting.
You may assume that it’s always better to work with a large organization with years of humanitarian work under their belt, but the truth is that these often have large cash reserves and may not need your money. This means that they might not spend your money for a few years and not always where you expected it to go.
Smaller organizations, on the other end, might start putting your money to use instantly. It will be much more satisfying to see your donations directly helping people than knowing that you supported an organization that didn’t really need it.
If you want to know what the charity’s culture is actually like, you have to work for them. Their websites and pictures might be nice, but you have to see how they treat people on the ground. If everything seems like it’s a business and it feels impersonal or you realize that they don’t care about the people, then you’ll be able to choose a charity that is closer to what you expected.
These are all things you can do to find a charity you’ll feel comfortable donating to. Not all organizations are equal, so choose your organization carefully and always ask for receipts.
By Naeem K Manz