Making Sense Of Online Giving by Bob Ottenhoff, GuideStar (NAPSA)—With prices of everyday items soaring and the economic outlook worsening, consumers are cutting back on their spending, which has resulted in an overall decline of charitable donations in the past 12 months, according to a recent National Survey of U.S. Adults on Current Charitable Giving Practices commissioned by Capital One. In fact, ™ W) 57 percent of respondents stated that they can’t afford to make charitable donations due to financial concerns. ps The saying “every little bit helps” rings _Ottenhoft especially true in today’s economy. Although money may betight, there are stress-free ways to give reasonably and wisely online. Here are some sim- ple tips for consumers to make sure every pennyof their donation counts: How To Choose The Right Charity With many charities to choose from, the selection process can be daunting, so first think about what is most important to you. What kinds of programs do you want to support? What problems do you want yourgift to help solve? Once you have answers, find a charity that shares your values. There are a number of sites, including GuideStar (www.guide star.org), where you can research charities by various criteria, such as keywords andlocation. Check The Charity’s Legitimacy The last thing you wantis your donation used improperly, or worse, with a fraudulent organization. When approached for a dona- tion, be sure to ask questions aboutthe solicitor. Give only when you're personally comfortable with the charity and how the dollars are being spent. Trustworthy charities are happy to answer these questions. Never provide your banking or credit card information to a charity that phones you and neverclick a link in an email to give online. Initiate all online transactions by visiting a reputable online giving site or a charity’s site directly. Another way to ensure that a charity will use your gift wisely is to make sure it meets the standards of the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance (www.bbb.org/charity). A New Opportunity To Make The Most Of Your Giving Online donations have transaction costs associated with them, which are usually deducted before a contribution is sent to the charity. According to the Charitable Giving survey, 61 percent of respondents did not know that charities can lose up to 5 percent of each donation to thesecosts. At the No Hassle Giving Site (www.capitalone.com/give), Capital Onewill cover the transaction costs so that 100 percent of the donation goes to charity. Capital One customers can find more than 1 million charities and set up a one-time or monthly donation throughthe site with the click of a button. Another bonusis that consumers receive a detailed donation history and a summary of tax-deductible donations at the end of the year. Bob Ottenhoff is the president and CEO of GuideStar, a non- profit organization with a database of more than 1.7 million nonprofits recognized by the IRS.
