Recipe for giving wisely
Published: November 16, 2021 by From the recipe box of Board Member Virginia Davis and President & CEO Gail Richards
Everybody wants to prepare a great recipe and serve a fabulous dish for our families for dinner, at holidays, for pitch-ins, etc. The same goes for each of us who want to make sure we have the perfect recipe that provides instructions on the best way to prepare for and serve the community with our charitable donations.
As seasoned cooks do, tried and true recipes combine the knowledge in our heads with our heart’s desire to provide comfort to the stomachs of the recipient of the food. Charitable giving is no different. Donors combine the facts in their heads with the tenderness in their hearts to cook up the best way to support their local charities. Follow the recipe for giving below and Johnson County will be a better place to live, work and play.
Clarify your values.
- Do this before you open your checkbook, volunteer your time, or look at that letter from a charity.
Identify your preferences.
- Ask yourself: “What is important to me?” The environment? Education? Hunger? Animal welfare? Helping sick children?
- Where should the charity do its work—in your neighborhood, region, the nation, or internationally?
- Ask yourself if you want to support a large or small charity, a new or an old one.
Search the GuideStar (now Candid) database to find charities that meet your criteria and check their legitimacy.
- If you find a nonprofit on GuideStar (Candid) with the Basic Search, you know the IRS recognizes the organization as tax exempt.
- If the charity is not on GuideStar (Candid), ask to see its letter of determination.
Focus on the mission.
- Look at each charity’s description in the GuideStar (Candid) search results, on its website, or in its literature.
- Find the nonprofits that fit best with your values.
A reputable organization will–
- define its mission and programs clearly;
- have measurable goals;
- use concrete criteria to describe its achievements.
Compare apples to apples.
- Be sure to compare charities that do the same kind of work, especially if you are looking at their finances. The type of work a charity does can affect its operating costs dramatically.
Avoid charities that will not share information or pressure you. Reputable nonprofits–
- will discuss their programs and finances;
- do not use pressure tactics;
- are willing to send you literature about their work or direct you to a website;
- will take “no” for an answer.
Eliminate organizations that do not meet your criteria. Trust your instincts.
- If you still have doubts about a charity, do not contribute to it. Instead, find another nonprofit that does the same kind of work and with which you feel comfortable, and then make your donation.
