It's For Charity. I Promise!

August 17th is National Non-Profit Day. Many of us love to help those in need. Whether it is with our time or our money, we enjoy supporting charities. In the US, there are 1.54 million charities that help various causes. Every year, we donate 450 billion dollars to them. 69% of the population donate at least once a year to their favorite charity, with 40% donating monthly. 41% of people are often motivated to donate after a disaster or crisis to help those affected with the rebuilding effort. Unfortunately, many people see this as their opportunity to get rich quick, as they prey on those with goodness in their hearts. Here are some signs to look for before opening your wallet to a charity.

Do Your Homework

Always do a simple Google search on a charity you are unfamiliar with. Many will try to make themselves appear as legitimate as they can. They will often make a logo appear as a real charity to throw you off their trail. If they claim to be part of a specific charity, reach out to them via phone and email for confirmation. Most of the time, they’ll list their side charities on their website under the partnership or sponsor section. Sites like charitywatch.org allow you to check if a charity is legitimate and provide you with any side charities they are associated with. To be a recognized charity, you’ll need a Tax ID Number under a 501C3/4 registration. Before donating, ask about how to get it for taxes reasons, even if you aren’t writing it down as a deduction in your taxes. Members of a charity love answering your questions and informing the public what they stand for. If the person you are speaking to refuses to answer these questions or seems skittish, chances are it’s a bogus charity.

Donate Right Now, Or Else!

Donating to a charity shouldn’t feel like a high-pressure sales situation. Real charities fully understand it if you chose not to donate, and will happily take no as an answer. A fake one is only in it for the money and will stop at nothing until you donate to them. They will often become quite pushy and rude when you tell them no. They may even get children or pretend to be disabled to guilt you into donating to their “charity”. The reason they use these tactics is that they want you to give them money, so they’ll try everything they can to manipulate or bully you into doing just that. If you find yourself in this situation, just ignore them, and make them look like a fool in the parking lot. If in front of a store, alert them to management. Many companies have charities they work with, and will handle the situations directly with the cause if they cause a problem because if the charity looks bad, then so does the company.

Other Ways To Donate

Real charities would take anything that helps their cause even if it isn’t money. Though they prefer cash, most people have become nervous about handing it over because of the recent spike in those misusing their funds. A big red flag that a charity you are dealing with is false is they ONLY accept cash, gift cards, or bitcoin donations. If a charity only requests these, run away. These methods are harder to trace what they are being used on, so it’s easier to hide it should the Feds come knocking. If a charity says they’ll take items, but only those of high value don’t waste your time with them because they are fake. An animal charity that’ll take your Rolex instead of a bag of dog food isn’t real. If you choose to donate items to a charity, ask them what they need most. Often, if they have too much of a certain item, they will most likely reject your donation. So you should call them and ask what they need before shopping for donations.

Cyber Donations

Just because it’s online doesn’t make it true. Charities will never reach out to you directly unless you are on their mailing list. If you receive an unsolicited email from a well-known charity, never open it, as it is most likely a virus. Don’t donate to any GoFundMe or other crowdfunding platform unless you know the person directly, or have done thorough research into the situation. Many people have faked causes on the internet for money and social media attention. If the charity doesn’t have a website, then it is fake. If they have a social media account without a blue check mark next to them, then they are not real. Never go by the friend count on those as two-thirds of social media accounts are bots used to trick people into thinking they have a strong following when they don’t. If they have a lot of spelling and grammar errors, this is usually a red flag that they are fake.

It Has A Celebrity Endorsement

Never donate to a charity just because your favorite celebrity is doing it. Most of the time, these are paid PR stunts to make them look good in order to increase their popularity within the entertainment community, so they can get more jobs. Sometimes they do this to look better after committing a crime of sorts to show the error of their ways. Sites like Cameo allow you to hire a celebrity for a fee to sell anything you want. Even if a charity isn’t lucky enough to snag a real celebrity endorsement, there are many ways they can fake it. Most of the time, they often take clips from previous interviews and claim that the person in it is referring to them. Deepfakes are when people create fake realistic-looking videos and pictures of a celebrity talking about their charity. Catchy clickbait headlines can snag your attention, and trick you into buying into their snake oil sales pitch. Some have even gone as far as creating fake accounts to pretend to be that celebrity to trick people into giving them money.