Follow the money with charitable contributions

[Geee]

Washington Times:

Tax Day approaches. Americans are initiating the ritual of rummaging through file cabinets and desk drawers to find the receipt required for their deductions. And if you are one of the estimated 80 percent of Americans who donated to a charity, you may want to take a second glance at those groups to see how your money was spent. A little research on many of America’s popular and virtuously named charities reveals that not all philanthropic institutions are created equal.

 

The military charity “Foundation for American Veterans” will clearly appeal to your sense of patriotic responsibility. However, a donation to this organization does next to nothing to support the troops. Charity Watch reports that nine cents out of every dollar donated to this group is spent on program services. This figure is especially alarming because this foundation took in more than $8 million during tax year 2013. Much of the donated money is eaten up in salaries and overhead.

 

Charity Watch grades a program that spends 60 percent or more on program services as “satisfactory,” with highly efficient charities (translation: good stewards of your money) spending around 75 percent or more on providing services. Charity Watch has given this veterans foundation “charity” an F rating. It is essentially a fundraising mill that uses American warriors as a hook.