Is Your Charity Doing a Good Job?
It is always important to ensure that your gifts to charity are put to best possible use. Below are four links to websites, three of which will help you evaluate your chosen charity as to its financial health and financial effectiveness. Since each organization uses different criteria to rate the charity, we suggest that you consult all three to get a rounded picture.
IMPORTANT CAUTION--These are simply sources of information. There are many local charities which are equally effective and well-run as those specified in the following sites. If a charity is not listed, you can simply request information from that charity directly to assist you in your evaluation, or we can assist you if you wish.
BBB Wise Giving Alliance
The Better Business Bureau solicits information from charitable organizations that are the subject of donor inquiries. The alliance offers guidance to donors on making informed giving decisions through charity evaluations.
Charity Navigator
This site evaluates the financial health of more than 1,100 charities. Charities are ranked from "exceptional" to "poor" based on financial performance and how the charities actually functioned.
Guide Star
Provides a database of 850,000 nonprofits that report to the IRS and compares their financial strength.
The Official IRS Listing of Qualified Charities
At this site the IRS lists all qualified charities. It does not evalutate them, but at a minimum you should always check to ensure that a charity that solicits you has been qualified by the IRS as a tax-exempt entity. There is a basic search engine available.
We are happy to assist you in any way, including:
- Formulating a charitable gifting program that will best meet your objectives, including tax minimization;
- Setting up a charitable remainder trust, charitable lead trust, or any other entity which will assist you in meeting your financial and charitable goals; and
- Setting up an operating a family foundation, which can be qualified as a charity, which will allow deductions for contributions made to your family foundation. There are many untrue myths regarding family foundations, including that they are expensive to set up and operate, and that they are complicted. We can show you the true power of a family foundation, how it can integrate with your estate planning goals, and how it can ensure your living legacy continues.
Call us today at (720) 529-9800 with any questions regarding how you can best integrate your charitable giving with your estate planning goals.
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