Checking Out Charities

June 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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When making charitable donations, you want to make sure that your generosity is directed at the proper organizations. Unfortunately, there are plenty of scam artists out there ready to take your money on behalf of a deserving cause. It’s always best to be wary and check out where you’ll send your money—any legitimate charity will give you the information you need.

Ask for Written Information
A legitimate charity or fundraiser won’t have a problem sending you information about how they plan to use your donation, proof that your donation is tax deductable, and their mission. Ask for written information like name, address, and telephone number.

Call the Organization
Make sure all organizations to which you plan to donate are aware of solicitations on their behalf. If they aren’t, you might have a scam artist on your hands.

Be Wary of Pressure
Most legitimate organizations won’t pressure you to give donations on the spot. That tactic is always a cause for concern and further research.

What’s in a Name?
Some scam charities choose names close to those of respected organizations to trick you. If you catch a small difference in the name of the charity to which you want to donate, call the organization to make sure it’s legitimate.

Current Events and Natural Disasters
If a new organization is asking for donations in response to a natural disaster or other newsworthy event, you need to check them out. These organizations probably won’t have the infrastructure necessary to deliver what you donate to affected areas. This is also ripe ground for scam artists.

Filed Under: General, Volunteering Tagged With: , ,

Ways to Help the Organization Known as SafePlace

March 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The SafePlace organization is a charitable organization devoted to helping teens and young adults who are thinking of running away. Instead of allowing these children to run away this organization offers them a safe place and teaches them alternatives to running away from home. As with all charitable organizations SafePlace is always looking for a number of volunteer and charitable donations. If you are considering volunteering are helping out here are some ways you can help out this program.

Monetary donations. SafePlace accepts monetary donations to help keep the hotline, website, and other resources running. All monetary donations are tax-deductible and can be paid via the organization’s website or through a representative for the organization.

Sponsorship. SafePlace offers a chance for you to serve as a sponsor to those that are considering running away. Sponsors will educate young adults about the risks of running away. They will also educate teens and young adults about the options that are available besides running away. Most sponsors are those that love being involved with kids as they work closely with the youth and young adults in the community. Sponsorships can either be individual and the community or businesses that want to make a difference.

In kind donations. Another form of donations and volunteering is known as the in-kind donations. SafePlace has a list of donations that they are looking for to help those that want to volunteer and donate. Donations can include food, hygiene products, clothing and basic necessities. By accepting donations of these kinds the monetary donations can go to day-to-day operation. All in-kind donations are tax-deductible.

Filed Under: Volunteering Tagged With: , ,

Using a Vehicle Tax Donation on Your Taxes

March 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Donating a vehicle to a charitable organization in order to get a tax refund has become increasingly popular in the past few years. Many charitable organizations except cars, trucks or vans that can be used by their organization as a vehicle or selling it for parts. In order to qualify to receive a tax deduction there are a few things you must do to receive the tax refund. Here is a look at what is required to receive a tax refund because of a vehicle donation.

The first thing that is required is that the vehicle must be donated to charitable organization that is recognized by the IRS. Charitable organizations that are accepted by the IRS and that except car donations can be found through the IRS website or the phone book. After finding the charitable organization that will accept your donation you must then make sure your vehicle meets the qualifications for donation. Most charitable organizations require that the car or vehicle be in working condition, however, some do not.

Once your car has been handed over to the charitable organization you will then receive a letter stating that you gave a vehicle donation to the charitable organization. You must fill out the required forms that come with the donation and that state how much your car was worth. The value of the vehicle is based off of the blue book value of the car. If the car’s value is over $5000 you must have a professional appraisal done on the car to receive the value of the car. The forms are filled out will be used when you submit your taxes.

Filed Under: Individual, Volunteering Tagged With: , ,

Auction Events Can Help Your Organization Raise a Lot of Money

February 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When you need money for your non-profit organization, there are plenty of ways in which you can raise it. One of the best and most popular options is to have an auction style event. You need things to auction, though, and you can get them by talking to companies and soliciting donations for your event. Not every company will want to help you, of course, but there will be plenty that will be happy to donate something. They can take a tax write off, and they can also get a mention at your auction that might bring them some more business from other people who were at the auction but either didn’t bid or didn’t win the bid but still want a similar item.

For your auction, make sure that you have both big and small things. Look for things like restaurant gift cards, tickets to sporting events, and gift baskets. Also, consider things like season tickets, autographed memorabilia, vacation packages, poker tables, golf carts, and cars. Really, any valuable item that has been donated by a business can be auctioned off. Just be sure that you pay close attention to the value of something and that it’s an item you can easily sell before you take it for your auction.

It’s also possible to sell refreshments at your auction and take donations. Those are two other ways in which you can get more money into your organization and bring more people through the doors in order to see what you have to auction off. Don’t expect everything to sell, and don’t expect to get rich, but you can do quite nicely with an auction if you plan ahead and advertise well to bring in a lot of people who are looking for what you have to offer and who have money to spend.

Filed Under: Groups, Volunteering Tagged With: , ,

Approaching Potential Donors

January 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When collecting money for a good cause or charitable donation, you may find that personal appeals to individuals can be more straightforward and less complicated than organizing big events.

Think about different ways you can appeal to people. Generally we think of telemarketing. While phone soliciting may work in some cases, it may put people off. Designing and printing up a flyer to mass mail is one way. Door-to-door is another. No matter which method you choose, be sure you know the people you plan to ask.

Research potential donors. Are they members of a church? Do they sit on any boards or committees? Are they part of the local government? Being selective about whom you approach will bring better results than asking random people or setting up a table with poster board at the local Wal-mart.

Be prepared to answer questions about your cause and goals for the current fundraiser. How will you use the money? If you’re requesting volunteers, what sorts of jobs will they be performing? Know your fundraising plan and cause inside and out.

Keep it simple. Generally the overhead cost for an event like a dinner party is excessive. Stick with something simple that allows you to interact with potential donors one-on-one. Attend a community meeting or go around to different churches and schools to make a personal announcement. Describe exactly what $50 can do for your cause—what $200 can do. Tell exactly what amounts will save a neglected animal or provide Christmas gifts for a certain number of poor families. Being specific puts the cause in perspective and shows just how much a person’s donation will help.

Request that donors pledge to commit to giving a certain amount each month. This can keep the donations coming in so your organization has a better chance of making a sustainable impact.

Filed Under: Volunteering Tagged With: ,

Fundraising

January 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Holding an event fundraiser is a great way to organize volunteers and secure funds for a good cause. Events can be as simple as a bake sale or as extravagant as a dinner party, but the idea is to raise money and awareness for the cause.

The first step in organizing an event is to determine its purpose. If your purpose is simply to raise awareness, you can plan a school wide forum at the local high school or community center. If the aim is to fundraise, volunteers are needed. Consider what jobs need to be filled—someone needs to bake goods for a sale, be in charge of a cash box, cook and serve food for a dinner party, or wash cars at a carwash. Make sure you have plenty of volunteers and set a realistic timeline for procuring them and setting the event.

Form a committee. A committee is simply a group of people who share responsibilities and help delegate tasks. Think about whom else loves your cause. These can be friends or community leaders. You need this kind of support to help the planning and execution of an event to run smoothly.

Consider sponsors. You may be surprised how many businesses in your community will offer donations for a fundraiser. Contact local grocery stores, companies, churches, and even individuals. Explain your cause and the planned event. You may organize a yard sale and have individuals in the community donate items to it so your organization can keep the proceeds.

Contact the local media. This could garner some much-needed attention and potentially bring in more donations or volunteers.

You may want to collect names and phone numbers or email addresses of those who donated so you can contact them afterward for a personal thank you and follow-up. This further establishes your cause and creates the potential for future involvement.

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Volunteering Tagged With: ,