This Ticks Me Off!!! It Better Tick You Off, Too!

I saw a story on Good Morning America this morning about how some (13 out of 27)charities seeking contributions to help America's veterans received an "F" from the American Instititue of Philanthropy, a watchdog group that rates charities in terms of how much money is spent on administrative needs, fund raising, and actual programs. Over the past two years almost half a BILLION dollars have been received by the sorriest of the sorry in this category of people using disabled veterans to give themselves six-figure salaries!

What qualifies as an "F" charity? One which gives less than 35% of collected funds to actual programs. Read the full story here:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/11/failing-to-serv.html

Does this mean you shouldn't give? Of course not! Just give wisely. Here is the website that rates charitable organizations: http://www.charitywatch.org/

Here is a great article on how to determine whether or not to give including a charity checklist:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/tmarkg/charity.shtm

Remember, in the past two years just under 500,000,000.00 did NOT go to deserving veterans just because good-hearted donors did not check out a charity. And that's just for veterans; the same thing is occurring in other types of charities as well.

Also, Christians need to be just as careful when giving to Christian ministries. The EVANGELICAL COUNCIL FOR FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY is one way you can be more sure about the integrity of a ministry. Look for this logo at websites for added security in your giving. Detailed information can be found at: http://www.ecfa.org/Default.aspx

WARNING: Don't get cynical, get smart. Give generously to those who really need it, just make sure whoever you are giving your money to is giving it to the needy!