8/9/2019 #280 BBB 12-31-09 188

1/1

.&.. . . . ~ _ . & . . . . . . . . . . . CLIPPING SERVICE(601) 8560911 I (205) 7588610

MACON BEACON MACON , MS

Cir c ulation = 2811

WEEKLY

12/10/2009

11111111111111111111111111111111111

Charlie Mitchell

Siale oners easv-Io-use 100110 check OUI charilies

J&O;,>

In a December mood?Feeling generous?Wallet empty?Not a problem , says Bill Moak, president ofthe. .Better Business

Bureau of Mississippi.Oive"time:"The personal rewards for volunteering , especially during

the holiday season , can be as important to charities as a cashcontribution," Moak said .

And he 's right. There are very few seJVice groups that couldn'tuse a hand, especially from someone who has a bit of experti se- carpentry, plumbing, computer trouble-shooting , bookkeeping,

fioormopping. .If nothing else, buy or bake some cookies and take them to theo ~ c eof an organization you think is doing good work in yourcornmunity. You spend $5 and the staff gets something invaluable a vote of encQuragernent.. .

Mississippians are the most philanthropic people in America.We've ,been told that for years. The rankingis based on giving asa perceritage of-income reported t o the Intern al Rev enue Service .The fact we arc a state with a lot of low-income people and a lot ofchurch-going tithers provide s pan ofth e explanation. But not all ofit. People in this state will really rally.

I saw what individuals, formal and informal organization s andnongovernment agencies did in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrin a.Dozens of groups fed thousands of people for weeks.

I watched in a suburban Baghdad cornmUI).itycenter as paralyzed

teens accepted from a Mississippi church - the first wheelchairsthey 'd ever had. .It's impressive how neighborly Mississippians can be.Others have noticed, too, and , sadly, the world of charities has

become infested with predator s.There are groups and individuals who make fortunes by using

deception to gain the compassion of others.

Christmas is their feeding season.So how do you tell if a donation will actually do what you want itto do?

A first step could be called the "name test." It work s almost aswell as a mathematical formula. Here it is: The more emotionpacked words in the organization's name, the more likely theorganization is not a charity at all . Hence , i f the mailm an bringsyou a solicitation from the "Society to Provide Kitten s to the BlindBabies of DeafVeterans, " a questioning eyebrow should go up.There are plenty of legitimate charities that really aid animals,vision-impaired children and really assist veterans. But there ar ealso plenty of con artists whose only priority is separatin g you fromyour money. The harder they pluck your heartstrings , the morelikely they can get a check.

Another term bogus groups like to employ is " law enforcement "or "first responders." Every honest per son is grateful for lawenforcement and knows first responders save live s. So it followsthat scammers .are not shy about t4pping into that gratitude. In tum,

.they do very little, if anything , to actuaHysuppornlaweI\f'prcementor first responders. . . ~ - -..- - - ' .,.

The second step is using a tool - an invaluabl e tool theMississippi Legislature has made availahle to the public thr ough the

Secretaryof

State's Office ( www.sos.state.ms.us ) for several year s..

An armualreport on all charities registered to ask for money fromMississippians (and registration i s required) is available onlinein full andsearchahle formats. Most public librarie s have printedversions . .

When contacted and asked to give money , a citizen can check theregistry before donating. .

If the charity isn't listed , it's operating illegally .If a charity is listed, don't expect the state to try to tell you

whether it's on the level. It' s a free country. Anyone can ask formoney .

What the aqnual reports do show is how much money a groupraised in the most recent year , the cost of raising the money , the costof administrative staffand the amount actually spent for the statedpurpose .

It does cost money to rai se money, so it would be wrong to holdall staff salaries or fundraising expenses against a charity.If , however, a report shows a charity spent 75 cents or more of

every donated dollar on overhead - and a surPrising number dowary donors might choose to give their checks to organiz ations thatminimize their internal costs to maximize their effect.

Back to a BBB idea. Moak says, and it's true, that charities are

limited by the tax code on how much, if any, lobbying they can do.Volunteers, however,can be their advocatesand write letters on theirbehalf .

If people have money to give , the best advi ce is to give it close tohome to known, trusted individuals and organizations. Any groupsoliciting a gift by mail,telephone or otherWiseshould be check edout. The state makes it pretty easy to do.

And remember money , as BBB says , is not the only thing that basvalue. Time does, too. As do words and actions showing support.

C h ~ r t i ~Mitchell is e x e c u t i v ~editor of The Vickspurg Post. Write tohim at Box 821668, Vicksburg, MS 39182 , or e-mail cmitchell@vicksburgpost.com :

http:///reader/full/www.sos.state.ms.ushttp:///reader/full/vicksburgpost.comhttp:///reader/full/www.sos.state.ms.ushttp:///reader/full/vicksburgpost.com