{"id":21821,"date":"2018-09-10T12:36:44","date_gmt":"2018-09-10T16:36:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.canadahelps.org\/en\/?p=21821"},"modified":"2024-11-01T16:43:34","modified_gmt":"2024-11-01T20:43:34","slug":"how-do-you-choose-where-to-give","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.canadahelps.org\/en\/giving-life\/giving-strategy\/how-do-you-choose-where-to-give\/","title":{"rendered":"Guide To Picking The Best Charity To Donate To"},"content":{"rendered":"

This blog post was provided by Ann Rosenfield,\u00a0MBA, CFRE.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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I was working for a charity that helped people experiencing homelessness. The charity was being evaluated for a large donation by a possible donor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis charity is spending too much on transportation!\u201d said the donor looking at their finances. \u201cI\u2019m not paying for staff to take taxis everywhere!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe staff aren\u2019t taking taxis,\u201d I replied. \u201cThat money is giving our clients bus tokens to make sure they can go see the doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not surprisingly, that donor changed their mind with this new information.<\/p>\n

It is hard to decide which charities deserve your hard-earned money. Before you leap to conclusions about which charities you want to support, here are 3 ideas to help make the right choice for you.<\/p>\n

Tip #1: You Be You<\/h2>\n

Deciding which charity to support is a personal decision. In making this choice, here are some ideas to consider:<\/p>\n

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  1. Do I prefer to give to a charity with an international, Canadian, or local focus? Think about how you want to see the charity\u2019s impact, either in person or hear about it second-hand.<\/li>\n
  2. Do I prefer to give to a small charity, or a large one? Each has its strengths and its challenges.<\/li>\n
  3. Do I know someone who volunteers or works in this field I care about to ask about their view? A trusted friend can provide valuable insight.<\/li>\n
  4. Do I prefer a charity that serves a lot of people for a short while, or one that works very intensely with a few people for a long time? Related to this, beware of worrying about how much it costs to serve one person. That is where you take the budget of the charity and divide it by the number of people the charity serves. Some charities help many people, but only for a short time so their costs per person will be lower. Others help a few people in a deeper way so their costs per person will be higher. You choose which one feels has the most impact.<\/li>\n
  5. Does the leadership of the charity match my values? For example, if I care about women\u2019s rights, does the charity have female leaders and board members?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Tip #2: There\u2019s More Than One Pair of Eyes<\/h2>\n

    It can be hard to make decisions about a charity on your own. Remember that there are other people who care about charities and their work. When choosing a charity to support, it is helpful to look to what important connections that charity has made. There are many groups who have to do their own work to make sure a charity is sound. If there is a charity you are considering giving to, check out if they are receiving money from your local community foundation<\/strong><\/a> or your local United Way<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Some charities have chosen voluntary accreditation with organizations such as:<\/p>\n