TO DO: FOR ANY CHARITY

Receive God's forgiveness for He has FOREVER overcome sin!

Online Charities MAY Be Untrustworthy

Don't you want your money to actually help the people or animals?

It is extremely important to CHECK on the status of any Charity.

Checking the Status of a Charitable Org
 Easy Steps to Confirm with IRS

A Charity MUST FILE form 990 with the IRS and be in good standing to continue as an authorized charitable organization

NOTE: While these reports are open to the public for viewing, the IRS is a bit slow in posting the most recent Form 990s so it may not include the last year filed. The filing of a Form 990 is due 4.5 months after the end of the entity's fiscal year (so if the "year end" is March 31st, then the due date is August 15th), and the filing may not be on the site for another 6 to 12 months due to IRS delays in processing returns.

Here is how to check the Charity at the IRS

  1. Visit https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/
  2. In the "Search By" box, choose "Organization Name"
  3. In the "Search Term" box, type the name of the charitable organization
  4. Click SEARCH button
  5. Choose the Charity you are searching for from the list that will appear on screen
  6. Review the "Publication 78 Data" which indicates if a charity is in good standing for tax-deductible contributions
  7. Review the Auto-Revocation List to see if their charitable status has been revoked
  8. Go back to the prior screen
  9. Choose the "COPY OF RETURNS" button on the right to see the Form 990s that have been filed for that charity
  10. Open the "Copy of Return" in the expanding block for the 'tax year' of interest to you (I would personally look at EVERY years' filing)
  11. Look specifically at the following pages of the Form 990:

    Somewhere around pages 7 through 10 should be PART VII which details "Reportable Compensation" in column D to see how much is paid to their officers
     
    A few pages later you will find PART IX which details their spending by category
     
    Next is PART X which explains their unspent funds and reserves, any assets owned and depreciated (including land and buildings)
     
    The rest of the return is also useful information about their stated purpose and where they focus their efforts and money

If you want to give money to a charitable organization, you should FIRST check on the status of that organization for the following:

  1. Are they a legitimate charity?
  2. Are they compliant with Charitable Organization reporting requirements?
  3. How are they using the funds they receive?

Charitable organizations are required to file a report with the IRS every year. While it is not an actual "tax return", since they are not taxed, the MUST FILE a Form 990 with the IRS every year. This is PUBLIC INFORMATION and not confidential, so it is entirely visible at the IRS website. See the instructions on how to check in the column at right --->>

Additionally, you can also check with the state government online, typically at the Secretary of State for state of the charity's residence. For example, in Tennessee, you can check on the status of the legal entity (the Tennessee Charity's name) to ensure compliance at this link = https://tncab.tnsos.gov

If you are going to give money, take the time to do a few minutes of 'due diligence' to ensure you have confidence that your money will be used as you intended when making the donation!

IDENTIFYING UNTRUSTWORTHY HUMANE ORGANIZATIONS

Most "humane societies" are legitimate and spend their money on the animals they are helping, but that is not true of all of them, so do your research.

Here are two organizations I personally would NEVER support and the reasons why!

  1. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has an extensive negative report that causes me to doubt that my money would benefit animals in need
    For this report, CLICK HERE.
  2. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has a long history, but the last 50 to 100 years is filled with animal extremists and there are many reports that very little of their public funding actually goes to help animas in need.
    For this report CLICK HERE.

It is extremely important to do the check recommended in the column at right!

After all, do you want the money you intend to donate to help rescue animals to be used by the "charity" for building up the "owner's" retirement account or off-shore bank investments?

Don't you want your money to actually help the animals?

Donate, but be sure you do a basic 'due diligence'.