CharityWatch Executive Director, Laurie Styron, is interviewed by KOAA 5's Patrick Nelson about how to find the best charities while avoiding scams this Giving Tuesday and throughout the holiday giving season. Don't waste your donations!
"We see so many people, they get taken in by emotional appeals of sad photos of...injured animals, or homeless veterans, or children with cancer. And these images are extremely compelling. And, you know, to quell that emotional discomfort, a lot of us, we make a donation and we feel like we've done something good. But, in fact, the most predatory people, they're going to target those highly popular causes."
"Just make sure that you trust the person running [the charity]...understand how many people are on the board of directors. Make sure that it's not a one person operation and that there are some checks and balances in place and some oversight. And, definitely ask, how is my money going to be spent? Because, you know, you do, all of us, right? We want most of our donation to be spent really funding the programs and we want charities to keep their overhead costs in check--reasonable, but not outrageous."