Before you give: five checks for a celebrity-backed charity campaign
A famous name can draw attention to a cause. These practical checks help supporters find the beneficiary, verify the payment route and understand what a campaign is promising.
How to Verify a Charity Before You Donate
A step-by-step checklist for confirming a charity is real, registered and well-run before your money leaves your account.
How Matching-Gift Campaigns Actually Work
Matching gifts can double or triple your donation at no extra cost — here is how employer matching and matching grants really function, and why billions go unclaimed.
What a Donor-Advised Fund Is — and Who It Suits
Donor-advised funds let you claim a deduction now and give later. Here is how the IRS defines them, how they work, and the trade-offs donors should weigh.
How Charitable Tax Deductions Really Work
A plain-English walk through the IRS basics: who can deduct a gift, how much, which organisations qualify, and the records you must keep.
How to Spot Charity Scams After a Disaster
Scammers move fastest when sympathy is highest. The FTC’s guidance on how to give wisely after a disaster — and the red flags that mark a fake appeal.
Reading a Charity’s Financials: Overhead vs Programmes
Why the ‘how much goes to overhead?’ question is more complicated than it sounds — and how watchdogs now say donors should read the numbers.
How to Give to Overseas and Relief Causes Responsibly
Cross-border giving carries extra pitfalls — from unhelpful goods donations to tax surprises. Here is how to make an international gift count.
How to Vet a Celebrity Foundation Using Form 990
A star’s name on a foundation tells you nothing about how it spends. Here is how to pull its tax filing from Candid and read what really matters.
Recurring vs One-Off Giving: Which Helps More?
Monthly gifts and one-time donations each have a place. Here is what the fundraising data says about why charities prize recurring support.