Bnaiemunah Sisterhood

Muna wa Wanjiru asked:


There are a number of different charities across the world and some of these are legitimate. To help donors find the legitimate charities services like Charity Navigator can help. This organization is a non profit independent evaluator of charities in America.

The stated goal of this organization is to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of America’s largest charities.

What this organization does is to look at the financial health of charities in America. With the help of this organization donors can see what the charity goal of different charities is. You will get to see how the charities spend the money that is given. From the financial statements you will get an idea of how well organized a charity is. You also gain an insight into how they use the money for their cause.

Besides looking at the financial outlook of a charity you have the option of looking for tips about charities. From this section in the Charity Navigator you can see what criteria you should follow to choose a charity to give donations. Besides seeing how to choose a charity you will find other tips.

This section in the Charity Navigator also has good resources for you to check out. From this section you can find ways to protect yourself from online scams. Older donors will find useful information in this recourses section too. Of course using the Charity Navigator does not mean that you will be able to find all of the charities in America.

At present Charity Navigator will have information on over 5,000 different charities in America. There is information about organizations which deal in international operations. One more way that you can find what a charity is like is to look at its rank in the Navigator site. This will inform you if the charity is well run and can perform the charity of its stated purpose.

All of these information aspects aside you will get news about charity activities that are taking place around the world. These hot topics as they are known will give you an insight as to various situations that need charitable help.

You also have the opportunity of visiting a charity blog that is linked to the Charity Navigator site. From these links you can see what people think about charities and the work that they do.

With so much of information being found on the internet it is sometimes hard to find what you want. Charity Navigator is one of the ways to find information about charities. The service from this organization is a great help to all donors. The vast amount of information will let you choose what you want to see. Charity navigator will let you see the charity you want in depth and without all of the extra

Alex Alaska P asked:


ny people consider the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to be their own personal nemesis, given the ever-increasing cut of income that’s taken every year, the are some car donation charities FAQs it is to everyone’s benefit you should be aware of, as a taxpayer. To that end, the IRS has gone to great length to make their policies easily available in many different ways, some of which are generally more effective than others.

Regardless of how one gets their information about car donation, charities FAQs have been a matter of public discussion ever since the somewhat shady nature of vehicle donation was made apparent in the early ‘aughts. When the General Accounting Office (GAO) issued their groundbreaking report to the US Senate in late 2003 (as a result of public outcry and pressure from states), not even the IRS or Congressional Finance Committees seemed to know the rules and regulations regarding car donation charities.

FAQs have since been adjusted according to the new rules that made it far harder when for-profit companies tried to use legitimate charitable operations to line their own pockets. Now that many of these loopholes have been addressed, your odds of making a charitable automobile donation that you can feel good about are better than ever.

Among the most often asked car donation charities FAQs is how one goes about selecting a good, worthwhile charity. They may contact such a charity immediately, or look up a vehicle donation service that serves the charities they support. The IRS would generally prefer you donate directly to keep potentially obfuscating the amounts actually going to the charities in question.

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Vehicle donations aren`t restricted to just regular automobiles. Charities may also take trucks, vans, RVs, boats, trailers, planes and motorcycles. Vehicle donation reporting has apparently been driven almost exclusively by the curiosity of a particular journalist. A few vehicle donation articles have been prompted by a press release by a politician, again to our knowledge never having been instigated by a complaint by donor or charity, but possibly by that particular politician’s interest in his or her own press coverage. Vehicle donation is an excellent way to give something back. Underprivileged and needy children in your community and all across the country will benefit greatly when you donate a car .

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Of course, the IRS would also like to file the correct paperwork, since even a friendlier IRS still has a slavish devotion to filling out standardized forms. In the case of auto donations greater than $500, a donor is required to file a Form 8283, section A. This can be downloaded from the IRS website and should be signed by both the donor and the charity in question. Many charities will happily supply you with such a form - it is in your best interest to find out if this will be taken care of for you before you sit down to do your taxes at the end of the year.

Another important vehicle donation charities FAQ is that if the donation is worth over $5,000 (whether the vehicle is to used by the charity or sold), section B of Form 8283 must be filed and attached to your deductions form. You will also need to supply an independent appraisal with your return for such high-end donations. This can be arranged by the charity in question or yourself. The cost of such an appraisal may or may not be considered part of the donation - check with your CPA to make sure what the current regulations are given your exact circumstances.

When dealing with car donation and charities, FAQs pertaining to how you will go about itemizing your deductions govern how such a donation will actually benefit you and the charity in question. For instance, it is wise to consider the extra effort (or money in the case of paying a professional tax preparer) is involved in switching to itemized deductions. Some people are actually better served buy taking the standardized deduction. You should balance these potential expenses against the actual amount your tax burden will actually be decreased. In most tax brackets, this represents about a third of the value of your car donation. Charities and FAQs pertaining to car donation should clearly point out that deductions are from one’s net income rather than the amount of tax owed.

When considering the actual tax benefit of your car donation, charities FAQ usually do a good job of pointing out the limitations of the value you can claim as a deduction, as well as their own status as an IRS sanctioned non-profit organization. There are cases of charities having a limited or dubious mission. You may find your deduction challenged, as it is going to a less-than-charitable organization. Do your own homework and verify the validity of any charity you choose to donate to.

And remember, all the car donation charities FAQs in the world won’t protect you if you take an active role in defrauding the federal government. Honesty is the best policy in all dealings with the IRS.

Muna wa Wanjiru asked:


To make sure that the various charities that spring up are legitimate and that they are providing the help that is needed there is an organization that is known as charity watch. This company is there solely to see that any charity or organization that is claiming to do charity work is in fact working towards their stated cause.

The charity watch can be found in various countries around the world. The names that these are known by will not be the same but the work that is carried out has the same function. This function is to make sure that you are not being defrauded by a clever gimmick. The way that this charity watch can achieve this is by seeing if there are any complaints that have been made regarding a charity.

They can also find from governmental organizations if the charity in question has been actively engaged in its stated charity purpose. This way the charity watch can see if there are any misappropriations being done. Also a charity watch can help you find a legitimate charity.

The charity watch is a good organization for making sure that the various charities have the ability to perform the actions that they need to. In some cases the charity watch can help inform the public about a charity that needs help. By checking out the information that is given by this organization you have the ability of working with a charity that is helping causes that you like to help.

A charity watch can be formed by a private group of people who want to safeguard the work that is performed by real charities. These people who may have contacts around the world will be in positions to see if a charity is actually one that can help people or if there is another purpose behind the founding of the charity.

Since many people feel the desire to help out with whatever needs that a charity may need, it is best if you can contact a charity watch to see if you are helping out with a actual charity or if you are getting caught by a fraudulent company. The work that is done by a charity watch can make the distinction between a real charity and a fraudulent charity.

For this reason it is best to see if the charity watch has a list of charities that you can access. By looking at the work that is done by a charity, the members of charity watch will provide you with the ability of choosing the charity that you would like to be a part.

David Olmstead asked:


There comes a time when companies have a need to better the world through donating to charities. A company can use a charity to better their name and increase their name awareness while bettering the world.

Take for example Bill and Melinda Gates. Their charity, The Gates Foundation, helps the innovation of health and education to the global community, more specifically in the area of aids. Not only do Bill and Melinda Gates help the world and increase the good feelings they have in their hearts by doing so, Bill gets his company recognized for having a kind and giving charity like, The Gates Foundation.

With Bill Gates being the majority owner of Microsoft, he gets his company recognized for bettering the world through his health and education charity. With Bill Gates having his own charity he is both bettering the world and bettering the Microsoft name. It is a great way to advertise.

Let’s use The Gates Foundation again. This time a person does not have to “own” the charity to recognize themselves and their company. Warren Buffet has decided to give his Berkshire Hathaway fortune to philanthropic causes, The Bill Gates Foundation is one of the philanthropic causes. Warrant Buffet will be giving billions to the foundation. This will help Warren Buffet with news press release, company name recognition and helping a charitable cause.

Another example of a company using charitable giving to better the world is American Idol. This year, American Idol started a cause called Idol Gives Back. Idol Gives back gives to multiple charities such as Save the Children, America’s Second Harvest, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and the Children’s Health Fund. This got more people to watch American Idol and give to charities.

Companies like Ford, Coca Cola and AT&T donated large amounts of moneys to these charities through Idol gives back. What did they get for this? Their names were plastered on the Idol webpage, names talked about in news talked about in news articles and blogs, and most importantly talked about on the show, American Idol. Not only did they give large amounts to charities, these companies made some sales for giving to charities as well.

You may be asking yourself, I own my own company but I do not make 1% of what Bill Gates, Fox Entertainment, Ford, Coca Cola, AT&T and Warrant Buffet do. I can’t possibly give to charities and get name recognition like they do. The answer is, yes you can.

Take for example of http://kajoobles.com , the donate 2.0 of the internet. It is a new website that promotes charitable giving for businesses and people. Their idea of cause related marketing helps over 100 charities while giving companies search engine traffic and placement on the world largest internet donation list. Companies now can give to charities they want and give recognized for doing so.

There are many other ways companies can give to charities. They can contact charities they give dearly to and advertise that an amount of each sale will go that charity. Companies and McDonalds and Wendy’s do this type of cause related marketing all of the time. Why, because it works?

Remember that you can use the strategy of cause related marketing on your side. You do not need to be a Warren Buffet, Bill Gates or a Coca Cola. You just need a heart to give and get ready to donate to charity strategy a try.

andrew.regan.2006@googlemail.com asked:


When asked, most people will happily give a donation to a charity. Some people will give their donation to a street collector armed with a collection tin, while some will donate to a sponsored event being undertaken by a friend or work colleague. Other people will donate via a direct debit from their bank account and others still will buy products that promise a proportion to any number of charities. However, there is a method that allows people to spend and donate money at the same time: a charity credit card.

Many people when considering a credit card will normally choose a generic card offered by their bank or credit card provider. However, charity credit cards are a simple hassle-free way of supporting your favourite charity at no extra cost, simply by carrying on with your normal, everyday spending. Furthermore, opting for a charity credit card doesn’t mean you need forego a lower rate or lose out on preferential balance transfers.

Charity credit cards work by paying a small donation to a charity for each approved application, plus a percentage of any spend made using the card in the future. Initial donations for approved applications typically vary between £10-£20, with further donations usually between 0.25% and 0.5%. There are numerous charity credit cards in circulation, so the likelihood is you’ll be able to find a credit card that supports your favourite charity.

The Co-operative Bank recently launched a credit card which supports homeless charity, Shelter while charities such as British Heart Foundation, World Wildlife Fund, Childline and Breakthrough ****** Cancer can all be supported through credit cards provided by American credit card issuer MBNA, who also operates a large number of charity cards and other affinity credit cards. Other charity credit cards include American Express’ Red credit card which helps to fight the HIV/AIDS emergency in Africa, Beneficial Bank’s RSPCA card which helps vulnerable domestic animals and Cancer Research UK, which is issued by Halifax and funds research into various forms of cancer.

However some financial analysts believe that charity credit cards might sway individuals away from better deals elsewhere, claiming that a lower rate card could leave cardholders with more money from which they could donate. Charity campaigners argue that money saved is unlikely to be seen by charities, however, and while many others are grateful for donations received through charity credit cards - however small they may be.

When choosing your next credit card, why not find out if your favourite charity could benefit from your spending? But whether or not you decide to apply for a charity credit card, there are several online resources that can help compare credit cards - both affinity and generic - allowing you to make an informed decision about the card that best suits your needs.

Mark R Burdett asked:


For anyone responsible for a charities budget you will know how important every penny is. And if part of your job is to make sure your Charity gets value of money on your Charity Insurance, then these tips from the UK Social Welfare Insurance Broker could be just what you need.

It is important to remember that charities, not-for-profit and voluntary organisations could possibly pay less for their charity insurance and liability insurance premiums without having to sacrifice on cover. From registered charities employing hundreds of staff to small charities, community groups and voluntary groups on a much smaller scale, savings could well be made by following these simple but highly effective tips.

And regardless of whether your charity is big or small and regardless of your budgets, if you follow these secrets to cheaper charity insurance there is every chance the amount you pay for your Charity Insurance could be reduced without having to sacrifice on cover, excesses or levels of service and support.

Secret number one when looking for Charity Insurance is to make sure you use an insurance provider who actually understands your needs. Buying a one size fits all insurance policy might well seem at first hand like the best solution but will having an insurance policy that is not designed for the voluntary sector actually give you the cover you need? What charities of all sizes and types need is the protection and peace of mind of knowing your policy gives you cover that protects you, your charity, your volunteers and your donors. Failure to get such a policy could very well mean that in the event of a loss occurring you may not be covered. Therefore make sure you use an insurance company or insurance broker who understands what you need and who understand charity insurance and insurance for the voluntary sector. They should be able to offer you advice and guidance aimed at reducing your exposure to risk which in turn could lead to a reduction in your charity insurance premiums.

And if using a specialist Charity Insurance broker or expert is most likely to result in your charity getting the right insurance cover for less, how can you find a Charity Insurance expert?

Internet search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN have certainly made the job of sourcing charity insurance specialists much easier and a simple search of one of the numerous search engines is likely to product information on a whole host of experts for a wide variety of insurance products and type. You should however be careful to check that the company who is claiming to be specialists in charity insurance really are. The quickest and easiest way to do this is to simply pick up the phone, give them a call and start asking them questions. Asking questions rather than just waiting for them to ask you is a great way to find out what makes them experts and how you can benefit from using them. Questions you might consider asking them include what insurance companies they use, how long have they been trading and providing charity insurance and what experience do they have in providing insurance for the charity and voluntary sector. By doing this and asking questions your chances of finding the right charity insurance broker or provider for your charity is likely to increase at the same time as your charity insurance premiums fall.

Another secret which could help you pay less for your charities insurance is one which very companies, let alone charities, use when shopping around for insurance. Secret number two when it comes to sourcing charity insurance is to therefore be totally honest when you are asked what you are currently paying for your charities insurance. Most people, businesses and charities when asked how much they are paying by an insurance company or insurance broker will not tell them. They believe that by doing so they are somehow unlikely to get the best quote in return. The truth is if you want to get the best quote from a charity insurance provider, your chances of success will increase if they have a premium to work against. This does not mean that you should make up a price but simply when asked the question of what are you currently or what is your best premium, tell them the truth and see what happens.

By following these two simple but highly effective secrets, there is a good chance the price you pay for your charity insurance will reduce. Give it a go and see if it works and make the next year the year your charity saves money on your charity insurance premiums

David Olmstead asked:


There are over 1.5 million IRS (Internal Revenue Service) recognizable charities in the United States of America today. Living in the United States, there are now over 300 million people. In the world, there is an estimated 6.5 billion people. Taking a look into world charities, are millions more! How can we make the world a better place by giving to all of these charities? The answer is simple, the Donate to Charity Theory.

I was sitting at my computer one day and the answer came to me. First, I was thinking, what could we, as a country, or even the world, do to give charities more money?

My first thought was, well, each person in the world could give $100 to charities. That would be over 6 trillion dollars just given to charities. That would not work though because kids cannot give money to charities and there are a lot of poor people in the world that cannot afford 100 dollars. Then getting into the value of money 100 US dollars is less than 100 Eros.

Even insane thoughts of having the worlds largest donate to charities on television came into my mind. It is a good thought but I do not want to go into details of why something like this would not work.

After the above thoughts of how to donate to charities and then even some more unlikely ones, the answer finally came to me. The answer is having businesses lead the way of making charity donations. You have seen it through companies like Ford, Wal-Mart and Chevrolet, giving money to charities.

Businesses like these give billions upon billions to charities on a yearly basis. These companies do not boast about whom they give to or how much they give. They somewhat give out the kindness of their heart. Each of these companies though, get taxes taken away from donating to charities.

Take a look at McDonald’s. Every time a person goes to the counter to order their Big Mac, French fries and a soda pop, they see a change like jar for the Ronald McDonald House. They get back their few cents and dump it right in the jar. Even people who go through McDonald’s drive thru who are going to order their double cheese burger from the value meal see the change like jar. They get the change back and usually, without knowing, donate to charities. The Ronald McDonald House gets millions dollars a year from people donating their change.

Living in the United States, the land of free, companies and the people lead the way. Companies need to lead the way on giving money to charities. American Idol did it, McDonalds and Bill Gates have done it, even a new website called http://kajoobles.com is wanting to do it through rewarding people and businesses through donating.

If you see a company using their profits to give to charities that you are passionate for, buy their services or supplies from these companies. Companies have the large amounts of money to give to charities and they are donating these monies. You are supporting their good cause.

The next article will be more about donating to charities and an extension of the answer to the donate to charities theory. Stay tuned.

Joseph Kenny asked:


Donating to good causes is a great way to help people who are less fortunate. People have always been able to help good causes by giving up their time or handing over cash. Now the process is even easier.

Many charities now have branded credit cards that enable consumers to donate to the charity every time they spend. These charity credit cards are backed by major UK banks. The Royal Bank of Scotland, Halifax and the Cooperative Bank all support several charity credit cards.

Learning About Charity Credit Cards

When consumers first sign up for a charity credit card, the issuing bank makes a donation to the relevant charity. This sum ranges from £5 to more than £40. The actual sum donated will depend on the terms of the particular credit card deal. If consumers keep and use the card, then card issuers usually make a second donation at the end of six months or a year.

Charity credit cards also give ongoing support to charities by paying a percentage of any spending on the card to the nominated charity. For example, most cards contribute 0.25% of spending to the charity. This means that 25 pence is donated to charity for every pound spent on the card. Some charity credit cards offer a donation of as much as 1%, so the amount given to charity increases to match. This is worth thinking about when deciding which charity credit card to go for.

What Causes Can I Support With Charity Credit Cards?

There are cards for almost every good cause. These include:

- Cancer charities such as Cancer Research UK and Breakthrough ****** Cancer Trust

- Children’s charities such as the NSPCC, Great Ormond Street Hospital and Barnardos

- Animal charities such as the RSPCA and PDSA

- Aid agencies such as Christian Aid and Oxfam

- And many more.

To find out if the charity you want to support has a credit card, telephone them or visit their websites. There are also several credit card comparison sites to help consumers decided among the different credit card offers.

What Incentives Are There For Using Charity Credit Cards?

Charity credit cards offer the same incentives to new cardholders as other cards. This means that, depending on the offer, cardholders can benefit from:

- Low annual interest rates

- 0% balance transfer rates for a fixed period

- 0% interest on purchases for a fixed period

- other rewards and incentives.

Some credit card issuers may charge a one-off balance transfer fee. This should be considered when deciding on the right card.

As with all credit cards it is essential to make payments regularly and on time to avoid attracting any penalty fees.

Once people have selected the right charity card, making a donation is as simple as doing what they would do anyway. All they have to do is spend money in the usual places and their favourite charities will get the benefit.

Muna wa Wanjiru asked:


Helping out good causes is something that many people like to do. For many people this help can be in the form of money or physical help. As there are many different types of charities in existence it is always a good idea to know which ones you want to help out. You can find the ones that you want by doing a charity search.

This charity search can be accomplished from the internet. This facility will open the door to your seeing different charities that can do with some type of assistance. From the various internet sites your charity search can yield information like what work the charity performs. You can find out how the money that is given to the charity is used and what items have been purchased with this charity fund money.

Your charity search can also show you the various organizations that are helping out with donations and other assistance. Besides showing you information about the selected charity a charity search can provide you with other useful information. For instance you will be able to see the other charities that perform the same activity that you are looking at from your previous charity.

You can also get to know just how long a particular charity has been doing their particular work and how many people or animals have benefited from them. From a charity search you have other interesting options that are open to you. These options can include finding useful links to other helpful organizations that are working in cooperation with your selected charity.

A charity search can yield articles about various charities. From these documents you will be able to read about the different causes that need the help of charities. These causes can be for protecting the environment from being exploited by companies who wish to claim part of the land or the resources that are founds on that land as theirs.

You will also be able to read of the help or advances that were done in various fields to help fight some problem that people or animals are going through. For instance you can find out how the donations from people have helped to buy necessary equipment for the research and operations for Ovarian Cancer.

With so many different charities that you can find, having the help of a charity search can narrow the amount of searching that you will need to do. This search facility can also provide you with a brief overview about the charity that you are thinking about giving a donation to. So the next time that you are hoping to find a charity that you can help out a charity search is the perfect place to start your hunt.