With 1.8 Million Non-Profits in the United States, how does one decide which to support? Chances are that the more an issue pulls on the heartstrings of good people, the more likely there will be frauds in that business. And with $3.08 Trillion a year in income, many Non-Profits are exactly that, a business.
When we set out on the effort that is War On Terror News, one of the things we did was establish a stated desire to expose as many honest Non-Profits as possible to America, to catalog who they are and what they do at every chance. We wanted the Troops to know, as well as Patriotic Citizens. The more we found out, the pickier we became. Rarely, will anyone hear me say anything negative about any organization, but a few get my unbridled praise.
But I'm also skeptical about Non-Profits. This comes from behind the curtains looks at that world. One particular event had a profound effect. I sat in a room as multiple local non-profits begged the United Way for money. I considered the pleas, as well as the money taken off the top before a "paid volunteer" decided who to give other people's money. I asked myself why people would give to such an organization, rather than directly to the causes they believed in. In most cases, the pleas did not endear me to the organizations begging for the money.
I also had an inside look behind the doors of a worthy organization. I understood why they needed paid employees and what a great deed they were doing, but when compared to how they reported the money, and indeed what the money was used for, I still found their advertising misleading.
While we've had to pull the praise for some organizations that weren't up to our standards, the mission they've assumed is too important to undermine their support, even if their finances do not meet our standards, or some of their officials don't meet our standards of conduct. As is typical of many such operations, their volunteers are often superb.
Not all Non-Profits are equal. Some are "charities" while others are tax shelters and others are fronts for partisan endeavors(IAVA, BFA). Many are doing exactly what they were established to do, whether they fall into something I care about or not.
Every year, I get a last minute request to support (in publicity) a particular marathon ran to benefit kids. It's a worthy mission, but it's outside the scope of this site.
More than one organization regularly sends out an "urgent need" for donations. This to me is a red flag. The non-profit world finds it profitable to use "urgent" requests but I consider it a sign of poor financial management and tacky. It doesn't mean that there's never an urgent need, but when an organization is constantly in urgent need mode, there's something amiss. Yeah, I know, it's an effective tactic to raise funds.
I also receive requests about this or that organization, whether I trust them, or to spotlight them. I generally start with a look at their Better Business Bureau report and their Charity Navigator rating, but you can also look at Tax Exempt World to find out if they are even filed as organization. This comes in handy when its a very small organization. If they have less than $25,000 in annual donations, they don't have to report to the IRS on a Form 990, but they should still have filed for the status.
Some organizations are paying 90% of their donations back out in advertising while others are spending 90% or more of theirs towards their programs. Some are paying huge salaries to executives, sometimes even when its warranted. Others are mixing multiple programs under one financial banner, but mixed marketing campaigns. One such "troops" program that wanted a spotlight from us seemed to have such jumbled finances, that neither they nor we figured out what money was for their Troops program and what was for their religious programs.
Organizations founded by a rich man that have a similiar mission as an established organization raise my eyebrows. Most often these are simple tax shelters. Why would they not simply give it to the people already doing that work? Bill Gates? Warren Buffett? Feel free to give us your non-financial reasons.
But size is not the determining factor when it comes to Non-Profits. Bigger organizations have bigger budgets and bigger expenses and sometimes bigger egos. Smaller organizations are often more focused and often forego any payment of wages and may have no office expenses. Though its often more difficult to find independent information on them. But there are great organizations, big and small, as well as iffy organizations, big and small. Both should demonstrate some large degree of transparency, though big ones can afford an independent audit and small ones may not be able to pay $2,000 for such an event. They may instead opt for a trustee's report.
Lack of endorsement by War On Terror News does not mean that an organization is bad, nor does a spotlight on an organization mean that it is pure. It can simply mean that we didn't find enough information, didn't find too many red flags, or something else. There is also a limit to how many organizations we can actively support.
On the left sidebar, you'll find the organizations that have passed our tests. They are good stewards of the money entrusted them and are fulfilling their stated missions. They're not the only ones doing so.
Fisher House, Intrepid Fund, Operation Gratitude, Beanies for Baghdad, and the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund are all in that category. Of these, Beanies is the smallest and IMSFF possibly the least known. There are smaller organizations doing good things, such as local clubs that focus on their hometown Veterans, particularly in the realm of hunting and fishing for Wounded Veterans.
The most prolific Pro-Troop type of Non-Profit generally deals with care packages. But if you are considering the start up of a non-profit, I would urge you to first find out if someone else is already working in that line of support. If so, see if you can work with them, rather than try to compete. Look at small and large organizations.
If you're looking to donate time or money to an organization, look first to those reports and for transparency, whether large or small. Take a look, even if they're on our list of endorsements. But decide for yourself, based on independent information, where your money is best given.
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