Charity Articles

Patriot Freedom Project Raises Donations for Capitol Rioters With Limited Accountability

January 20, 2022

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Patriot Freedom Project Raises Donations for Capitol Rioters...

Jan 20, 2022

"'When too many family members are in positions of authority at a charity, the independent oversight needed to ensure that donations will be used the way donors intend is significantly eroded,' said Laurie Styron, who has spent ne...

"'When too many family members are in positions of authority at a charity, the independent oversight needed to ensure that donatio...

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Gary Sinise Foundation Regains Its Top-Rated Status

Dec 30, 2021

As previously reported by CharityWatch, Gary Sinise Foundation was the victim of over $1 million in wire fraud...

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Should I Donate To The Salvation Army?

Dec 28, 2021

When deciding whether or not to support the Salvation Army, donors should consider 4 things: (1) Transparency (2) Financial Efficiency (3) Shared Values (4) Ability to take a tax deduction on donations.

When deciding whether or not to support the Salvation Army, donors should consider 4 things: (1) Transparency (2) Financial Effici...

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Happy Holidays From CharityWatch!

Dec 23, 2021

Happy Holidays From CharityWatch! A year in review and some last minute giving tips for 2021. Non-itemizers can take a tax deduction for donations to qualifying public charities...

Happy Holidays From CharityWatch! A year in review and some last minute giving tips for 2021. Non-itemizers can take a tax deducti...

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CharityWatch Rating of Red Cloud Indian School

Dec 15, 2021

CharityWatch believes it is wrong for religious organizations to receive PPP funding and other taxpayer-funded subsidies without requiring them to publicly disclose their audited financial statements.

CharityWatch believes it is wrong for religious organizations to receive PPP funding and other taxpayer-funded subsidies without r...

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Gary Sinise Foundation Reports Wire Fraud

Dec 14, 2021

The Gary Sinise Foundation discovered in March of 2021 that it had been the victim of wire fraud, according to a note disclosed in its audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended 12/31/2020....

The Gary Sinise Foundation discovered in March of 2021 that it had been the victim of wire fraud, according to a note disclosed in...

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5 Steps For Informed Giving

Dec 13, 2021

Giving Tuesday is only a reminder. Every day is a good day to support the charitable causes that are important to you. Find a CharityWatch Top-Rated charity to support...

Giving Tuesday is only a reminder. Every day is a good day to support the charitable causes that are important to you. Find a Char...

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Are Charity Matching Donations Legit?

Dec 10, 2021

Charity matching donation campaigns are sometimes little more than marketing spin and won't increase the value of your contribution in many cases...

Charity matching donation campaigns are sometimes little more than marketing spin and won't increase the value of your contributio...

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Happy Hanukkah! Best Charities to Donate to This Holiday Sea...

Nov 29, 2021

Happy Hanukkah to our Jewish friends and donors! See CharityWatch's Top-Rated list of Jewish & Israel charities...

Happy Hanukkah to our Jewish friends and donors! See CharityWatch's Top-Rated list of Jewish & Israel charities......

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Easy Prey Podcast: Advice for Donating to Charity on This Gi...

Nov 24, 2021

"It just becomes this cyclical cesspool of fundraising," says Laurie Styron in her interview with Chris Parker for The Easy Prey Podcast when discussing a common charity accounting trick known as joint costs. ...

"It just becomes this cyclical cesspool of fundraising," says Laurie Styron in her interview with Chris Parker for The Easy Prey P...

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WE Charity: “They’re Relying on Donors Not Asking Questi...

Nov 19, 2021

“It looks to be an active strategy to raise a lot of money, and then they’re relying on donors not asking questions in order to continue to operate this way. And it’s just wrong,” says CharityWatch Executive Director, Laur...

“It looks to be an active strategy to raise a lot of money, and then they’re relying on donors not asking questions in order t...

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WE Charity Accused of Double-Dipping Donors to Pay for the S...

Nov 18, 2021

Laurie Styron, executive director of CharityWatch, reviewed the leaked documents and said they troubled her. "They're relying on the good grace of donors to just not ask too many questions? That's just wrong. It's a breach of trus...

Laurie Styron, executive director of CharityWatch, reviewed the leaked documents and said they troubled her. "They're relying on t...

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Why So Much Junk Mail? And So Many Charity Scams?

Nov 12, 2021

"There's just a huge chasm at times between what a charity is saying about itself and what the finances reveal it is really doing."

"There's just a huge chasm at times between what a charity is saying about itself and what the finances reveal it is really doing....

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"F" Rated Veterans Charities to Watch Out For This Veterans ...

Nov 11, 2021

These "F" Rated veterans charities spend as much as 96% on overhead!

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Veterans Charities That Won't Use Your Donations For Up to 1...

Nov 11, 2021

If you donate today, some veterans charities won't use your donation for 10 to 17 years or more!

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International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journal...

Nov 02, 2021

November 2nd is International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. According to CharityWatch Top-Rated charity Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), "In more than 80 percent of cases, the killers of journalis...

November 2nd is International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. According to CharityWatch Top-Rated charity Comm...

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AARP's Perfect Scam Podcast: A Case Study With Laurie Styron

Oct 29, 2021

"Giving makes people feel good," says Kay Bransford, the daughter and caregiver of a generous donor who received "over 200 pieces of mail" from charities per month asking for donations.

"Giving makes people feel good," says Kay Bransford, the daughter and caregiver of a generous donor who received "over 200 pieces ...

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CharityWatch Top-Rated Environmental Charities Announced Ahe...

Oct 29, 2021

For a complete list of CharityWatch Top-Rated Environmental Charities, please visit our Top-Rated charities page. ...

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Your Guilt as a Catalyst for Giving

Oct 22, 2021

Scammers and unethical, high-pressure fundraisers use a lot of psychological tricks and emotional manipulation to corner you into making impulsive donating decisions.

Scammers and unethical, high-pressure fundraisers use a lot of psychological tricks and emotional manipulation to corner you into ...

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Say "No" to High Pressure Fundraising Tactics

Oct 21, 2021

When we firmly say “no” to charity scammers, we can say “yes” to efficient and effective charities. ...

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Busting the Myths of "The Overhead Myth"

Oct 21, 2021

Before donating to charity, many donors want to know what portion of their donation the nonprofit will spend on programs versus overhead. And this makes sense. Charities and nonprofit fundraisers often reference two industry-...

Before donating to charity, many donors want to know what portion of their donation the nonprofit will spend on programs versus ov...

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Faulty Generalizations Lead to Bad Donating Decisions

Oct 20, 2021

Don't be overly impressed by a few anecdotal examples of what a charity claims to have accomplished.

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CharityWatch.org Kicks Off Charity Fraud Awareness Week: Big...

Oct 18, 2021

The difference between a charity scam and a legitimate, but highly inefficient charity may only be 1%.

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Breast Cancer Cause-Related Marketing: Buyer Beware

Oct 18, 2021

Watch "Breast Cancer Products Bring In Big Money — But to Whom" for CharityWatch Executive Director, Laurie Styron's contribution to this topic.

Watch "Breast Cancer Products Bring In Big Money — But to Whom" for CharityWatch Executive Director, Laurie Styron's contributio...

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