The holiday season is the season for donations, and there are ways to ensure your donation dollars are being put to good use.
"If the organization doesn't necessarily fall in line with their ideals and my ideals that's important to me,” said Alisha Blackwelder.
Here are some tips:
- Check Websites Charity Navigator, Charity Watch, and the National Association of State Charity Officials for grade rankings and to see how the donation dollars are spent.
- If you want more bang for your buck pick only one or two places to donate to. A lump sum of money will go further in helping the organization.
- Never give money over the phone. Use the group's website or mail in a check to make sure the donation is going to the right place.
"I like to give them a call just to get a good feeling about, I think you can use a lot websites now a days to find out and make sure everything is reputable,” said Caroline Lerro.
According to Giving USA Foundation, 2015 was America’s most giving year on record with $373 billion dollars being donated to charity. https://givingusa.org/giving-usa-2016/
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Ali Hoxie can be reached at ali.hoxie@kshb.com
