Sydney Newton
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According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, there are more than 1 million nonprofit organizations registered in the United States. It may or may not come as a surprise, but not all nonprofit organizations are really doing what they claim. A noble nonprofit should spend 75 percent of the money collected on the charitable cause, and 25 percent of the money should handle general administration.

But the real truth is that the nation’s 50 worst charities have paid their solicitors nearly $1 billion over the past 10 years, according to the Tampa Bay Times. This is partly because the solicitors (those who raise funds for charities) lie about how much money is going to the actual cause. In Iowa, charities do not have to register, but solicitors do. In many other states, this isn’t the case.

Charity Watch is America’s largest independent “charity watchdog.” It helps people find out exactly where their donations are going and what exactly they will being used for. It figures out the “Program percentage,” the percent of total expenses a charity spends on its programs in a year. It also figures the “Cost to raise $100,” which finds out how much it cost the charity to bring in each $100 of cash donations from the public. Then, the watchdog puts the charity on a grade scale.

James Altucher’s article “How to Become a Superhero (or … why I would never donate to a major charity)” outlines a possible solution. In this criticized piece, he talks about donating directly to the situation. By doing this, you are helping the situation at that exact moment. The people who need help get it right then. He also says your donation should always be anonymous. Sadly, a lot of people like to show off how generous they are. That doesn’t always mean you’re a good person.

I would agree that this is one of only ways to be sure that the hard-earned money you are donating is being used in the exact way you want it to be. When it usually would be going to fundraising, advertising, and administrative costs. I’m not questioning the morals of the people behind the huge nonprofits, but I’m trying to let people know it’s not always what it seems.

There have been too many scandals. One of the more recent and large scale reveals included the NFL’s Pink network. Everyone has seen the pink gear the professionals wear and think that they must be raising a lot of money toward Breast Cancer Research. In fact, they donate to the American Cancer Society. It’s not necessarily bad but incredibly misleading. With this knowledge, I guarantee the support wouldn’t be the same.

Now, I am not saying you should give each charity you donate to a background check. But, you should check it out and be sure it is finically transparent. Most of time people donate to causes that are dear to them. It’s sad that society takes advantage of good people.