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Marketing campaigns and multi-media branding specialists are now more widespread than ever, thanks to the extensive technology we have these days. Because of their techniques and slick marketing maneuvers, it is easy for them to manipulate us, convince us and do the task of choosing a charity to donate to for us. Charity donations were relatively easy and uncomplicated before. You simply give your donation to the charity whether it is a local church or community group and you would be assured that they will divide your donation equally or accordingly.

During this time also, you can be assured that the work was strictly done by volunteers. There is no doubt that hucksters already existed before; however, these days, they are more aggressive, have more trick up their sleeves and are more ready to take advantage of people’s generosity. It is important that you be aware of these marketing campaigns and that you make an effort to conduct your own research about how and which charity you are going to give your money to.

There is no definite explanation as to why some people have the courage to create an organization with no other purpose but to only enrich themselves. They even show convincing scenes promoting poverty or sickness to encourage people in donating. Some say that these people start a charity with the good intent of actually helping out those in need but because they can see how much they gain through the charity, the intent grows into something more selfish which becomes something of their own desires. It doesn’t matter whether charities become money pits due to bad intentions or lack of oversight, because the sad truth is, many organizations which misuse the non-profit or charity title are spending huge amounts of donations not to help out their cause but to help themselves. Yes, you might think that this only happens in small organizations; however, this kind of deceit also happens in well-known organizations. Therefore, before you give away a portion of your hard-earned money, it is important that you make a conscious effort to allot some of your time into researching the background of the company, criticizing its website and readings about its financial statements.

The most important thing that you should first look for when finding a charity is the amount or percentage of money that gets to the people of their cause. The best charities out there are the ones which have a huge percentage of money donated to the people they feature on their sites or brochures. They are able to donate a rather larger figure of money because they keep their operation and production costs low and make use of volunteers.

Some charities donate up to 70 to 80 cents per dollar that people donate while some only donate 30 cents per dollar. Regardless of how much you donate, you will always feel good about donating. However, think about how much better you would feel if you know that you gave your donation to the right charity which donates a larger portion of your money. By simply conducting a research, you can rest assure that you are making an even bigger difference to the lives of people in need.

Maybe you thought that all of your donations straightly go to the ill-stricken patients or starving children, but now that you know that only a percentage reaches them, you may be wondering where your money is actually going. For starters, non-profit organizations don’t mean that no one gets paid to be in the organization. It only means that the organization has no owner who would take the profit out of the company and that the charity has control over who gets appointed to which positions. Usually, a charity organization consists of a CEO and other impressive titles.

These positions are paid hundreds and even thousands of dollars every year. Aside from that, a part of the donated money also goes to advertising. Some prominent charities get so big that they need to spend more on ads and marketing materials to make sure that they do not lose donators and to ensure that the money keeps coming in. So before you donate to a certain company, it is best to go through their financial statements. As mentioned earlier, the best charities are the ones which keep their operation costs low. There is no need to donate to a company which spends more on their salaries and advertising than on their organization’s causes.

If you are having a hard time choosing a charity or organization, you can decide to donate to one of your local communities or religious-based groups. Contributing to local charities allows you to learn about firsthand information about the group such as who the board members and administrators are and their reputation. Aside from that, they will be more likely to assure you that your money will absolutely go to their causes.

Finding the right charity might require you to exert more effort but it would feel more rewarding if you know that you are donating to the right charity which puts the need of their causes first before anything else. You could also make a charity donation work for you by finding out which charity donations can be listed under your itemized tax deductions. Check your credit reports and go over them to make a comprehensive list of your donations. The good thing about this is you get rewarded by helping out others in need.