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Tips for Choosing a Charity

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    Charity Navigator CEO Ken Berger offers tips for donating to a charity.

  • Duration 5:07
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-- moving on giving to charity during the holidays is always a good feeling.

Nearly half of all contribution -- contributions charities receive each year.

Are made between Thanksgiving and New Year's but with talks of congress limiting the charitable tax deduction is part of the fiscal -- negotiations will this year.

Be any different.

-- Berger president and CEO of Charity Navigator joins me now.

And welcome back to the show we were talking the breaking -- -- saying that there has been you've already seen some increasing contributions to charities this year.

Because of that fiscal cliff what do you say.

Yes what we've seen that some of the larger charities have seen as much as seven or 8% increase in donations.

Whereas some of the smaller charities they're still struggling and donations are somewhat.

Level from last.

You know.

People -- they have this on front of mind because this is the traditional part time of the year that you make your contributions.

And this year more than ever I think people are thinking that the dollar's gonna go further.

Because of -- -- possible changes in taxes.

What is the one thing you would tell folks this year about sure -- give me give what to they need to think about or remember this year.

Well they need to remember that even.

Now more than ever the charities really need their help there's more -- demand because of unemployment because of the other challenges out there it's the disasters in the storms and so forth.

In addition to that.

There -- already over the fiscal cliff to some degree in the sense that they're seeing very large reductions in the amount of support they get for the programs they provide through government funding.

So they've already gotten -- squeezed both away yes indeed they are your organization doing a lot of polling of the people who given the people who take what are you hearing.

We're hearing that people are planning to give at least a little bit more the economy is slowly improved and some people feel that they are able to give a bit more.

Men and that the need out there is tremendous for the services of many of these -- Now the beauty of your website is that you actually great rank these cherries and talk about what they're good at what they're bad -- how much -- their of their money is actually going to.

The charitable cause they're they're pursuing.

I tell us about a little bit about your website and what is people really need to pay attention to when they're they're picking a -- and it.

Sure yet we rate more charities than any other organization in the world where.

About.

Half of all the money and donations goes to those -- reevaluate -- continuing to expand.

There are three critical things that people should consider and our website is working on.

All of that one is the finances the organization is the money going to the right place.

Does the organization have sustainability.

Financial health the second area is what we called.

Best practice governance.

Accountability transparency it's all about today have a strong board.

So the CEO is accountable to others and their ethical in their practices in the third.

Is mission critical what about the results you work you do more than storytelling can you tell us that if you have an employment program how many people are employed a year out.

Really meaningful information you're changing lives.

We were talking a break to about some of things that go wrong go awry with charities he really have to be careful in choosing one.

He said telemarketing firms are a big issue right now what's going on.

Yet there been a number of investigations and congress is beginning of getting involved as well.

Apparently telemarketers are gouging more and more money out of a lot of charitable donations and a lot of relatively large charities are getting involved so what it means for a donor is.

Fifty sense of your dollar ninety cents of your dollar.

In some cases a 100% of your dollar is going to telemarketers and not to the cause doesn't say give without strings attached what does that mean.

Once you have a charity that you can trust that you've seen their track record you've come to organizations like ours you know their strong.

Don't hamstrung them and say.

Just use the money for this purpose because your dollars are precious and if there's an emergency and crisis and you give them the flexibility to make that judgment on the ground it can be incredibly powerful and helpful.

And find the perfect that you know consumer want to find a charity out there that is -- -- -- really interest today and can can happen to right.

Yes and the thing is that sometimes -- -- we'll have a broad mission that sounds right but if you drill it down it may not be quite what you have in mind for example an organization.

That's up in the area of cancer.

And do you think that they're providing examinations and it turns out that doing lobbying so you really need to know how this fits what your interest it and you you say don't forget non sandy charities our policy -- charities getting all the money -- share.

Well unfortunately.

Normally when disasters happen.

There is a flood of money because the good part of Americans and it's appropriate that way but when it happens right around the holidays.

And you have to make choices about where -- terrible dollars go there is a real tension and some charities could lose out that really need help.

And of course it's no easy choice for -- donor.

But we recommend if at all possible that you don't forget those charities that.

Are there for you all year -- that.

Up seven point 5% for the big charity that's an amazing number -- thanks for coming on.

It's Charity Navigator dot org yes correct great website thank you you.

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