How to make sure your donation is going to your charity of choice

You want to give on Giving Tuesday. Awesome! You don't plan on it? That's Ok. We still have some useful information that works all year long.

How do you make sure your money is going to the charity itself and not to some middle man?

The New York Attorney General's office has a host of information, most of it here on CharitiesNYS.com.

That's where you can see how much of your money goes to any charity and how much goes to companies that professionally fundraise for them.

Of the nearly $1.2 billion raised by 964 professional fundraising companies last year, 31% or 372 million dollars went to the companies and not to the charities.

So what can you do to make sure your money is going where you want it to? 

If you're donating by phone. You can ask how the money will be used and if you're dealing with a professional fundraising company, that's information they have to tell you.

Donating directly to the charities website will often ensure the money is going straight to the source.
Most websites, like the Red Cross will tell you how they spend their money. 

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