Cash or Wired Money – No, thank you.
Pressure to Donate – Walk away.
Sketchy Status – Pass.
Similar Name to Well-Known Charity – Be suspicious.
1. Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance
2. Charity Navigator
3. GuideStar
These are well-respected resources. You can pop in the name of the charity you’re considering giving to and these sources will let you know if it’s met traditional standards or not. If it’s a a group they’ve not heard of, they’ll let you know. So do some due diligence.
I know that some people prefer to give things rather than money. That’s a bad idea. Too many people send things that aren’t needed. For example: lamps, evening gowns, winter coats. This ends up on runways, has to be stored in warehouses and it takes manpower to do this. Please, just give money to reputable charities. They will find out what’s needed – like bottled water and baby formula – and deliver it themselves.