Girl holding smart phone with donation concept on screen
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Before you click on that link to help the families of shooting victims or businesses recovering from riot damage, there are a few things you should probably check out.
In just a matter of days, dozens of pages emerged claiming to support victims and businesses in the Kenosha area. Susan Bach of the Better Business Bureau suggests doing your research before sending any money.
“[There are] pages that purport to support the victims, and those pages are located in California and Oregon. You want to make sure that it has a genuine connection to the family,” Bach said. “[Look] a little closely at the description, so that they’re very specific about their connection to the victim and that they’re very specific about the way that the money will be used.”
If there’s a picture of the person you want to donate to, do a quick Google search of the image to see where else it is being used.
If there is a group rather than an individual raising money to assist those in need, it’s also important to dig into their background before donating.
“We encourage people before they donate, just to check out that charity to make sure that does meet all of our standards – that it gives enough of the donations for the victims, rather than to overhead and things like that,” Bach said. “We want to make sure that it’s a well-established organization, not one that is newly created.”
Bach urges everyone to do their own research, looking for telltale signs of illegitimate crowdfunding pages, and to use their best judgment when deciding to participate.
Another piece of the puzzle to understand is whether you will be able to write off your donations.
“That is another very important question that you should research before you give – will my donation be deductible or tax deductible?” Bach said. “Advocacy organizations and personal go fund me pages for a person generally are not tax deductible.”
For more information and tips on donating in the wake of a natural disaster or tragedy, head to BBB.org.
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