Picking a Charity

One of my Twitter contacts @jackalopekid posted this today about choosing between the thousands of charities for donations.

I make my living working with Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) and with so many Non-Profit Organizations (“NPOs”) needing donations I thought I would provide Austin’s Guide to Donating. I will attempt to provide practical ways for you to determine whether or not you should give to a certain organization.

1. Set a budget. The goal here is to be responsible with the gifts that God has given you. So, you should determine how much of your income you can donate. Start with your 10% tithe and add on from there.

2. Do your homework. Charity Navigator and Guidestar are great resources for information on the financial health of NPO’s. Remember that some organizations are not “Christian” on purpose because of the greater amount of work they are able to accomplish without the negative connotation that some people have toward Christians.

a. For those with larger pocketbooks I would encourage you to contact The National Christian Foundation. They assist in setting up donor advised funds and make sure that your funds go to great organizations. Another option is to contact Calvin Edwards and Company they provide gift planning, research, due dilligence, etc.

3. Select your NPOs. I segment NPOs into 4 categories: Place of Worship, Health/Social, Education, Cultural. I select one NPO per category (maybe more for Education).

a. My personal list: Buckhead Church, Chooseaneed, Mars Hill College/Auburn University, Atlanta Opera

4. Get involved. The more you work with an NPO the more you will feel comfortable in giving them money. Not only that but being involved really makes your monetary gift more valuable. (This is also a good way to decide if you want to give to an organization or not!)

5. Tell others. If you have found a great organization tell everyone you know, invite them to volunteer with you. This will increase giving to the organization even if you cannot personally increase your contributions.