I recently blogged about Jose Andres' World Central Kitchen, and how they have worked to feed communities in time of crisis. They are now in Poland, helping to feel Ukrainian refugees arriving there in droves.
I started to think about what organization I wanted to donate to, not just for this particular tragedy, but in general, what are the best organizations to give to? It's not easy to answer the question. It takes a lot of research, so before you write your next check to a charitable organization, think about checking them out.
There is so much fraud in charitable organizations. The best way to start is by using either charity navigator or guidestar.org to check them out. I just took one sketchy organization called Kids Wish Network and checked them out, only to find they have no rating at all! Scammers give their charity a name that sounds like something you've heard of, for example Breast Cancer Relief Foundation. They may call you and thank you for giving in the past (you haven't) and ask for more. I looked at the charities with the word breast cancer in the title and found dozens.
At this time in particular, when many want to donate to relief funds, feed the hungry organizations, and other charities that are trying to help refugees, the scammers are hard at work. Just be careful. Try to give to organizations that are not top heavy on administration. More than 25% for administration and fund raising is too much. Give, but make your dollars count.
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