Your association’s charitable donation provides the funds for organizations to research illnesses, feed the poor, help the needy and support other worthwhile causes. If you are considering donating to a charity, follow these steps to ensure your association’s money is well spent.
Step 1 — What to Donate.
Decide on what type of donation you are going to make. That helps narrow your charity choices. You can donate food, money or your time to different organizations or school districts. Figure out what you want to donate and find a charity that accepts that item.
Step 2 — Pick a Cause.
It should be one that is important to you or one that may be directly affiliated with a member. An easy way to pick a charity is to donate to a cause that has directly affected you in some way. For example, if your organization has a member battling cancer or has lost a member due to the disease, you may wish to donate to the The V Foundation or the American Cancer Society.
Step 3 — Evaluate Charities.
Use the Charity Navigator website (charitynavigator.org). That resource evaluates individual charities and can help you give to a charity that is known to use its money wisely. It also separates charities by category for easier navigation and helps you to avoid potential conflicts with coaches organizations that donate to charities.
Step 4 — Get a Breakdown.
Find out what percentage of donations actually goes toward the cause and how much is spent on administration. The Charities Review Council recommends that charities spend no more than 30 percent of their revenues on administration, although some other watchdog groups put that figure as high as 50 percent.
Step 5 — Disaster Relief.
Donate to an area in crisis. If a natural disaster has occurred in an area, send a monetary donation through the Red Cross.
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