Dan Rutherford
Before making an online donation, Bennett Weiner, director of the Philanthropic Advisory Service, recommends the following safeguards:
* Look for disclosure. Determine how much of your contribution will actually get to those who need it. Look for administrative expenses, or if you're buying at a charity cyber mall find out how much of the purchase goes to the charity. Remember, if you get something in return for your donation, you can't write off the full amount.
* Check for privacy policies. Use the same level of scrutiny you would reserve for a retail site. Also see what information the charity keeps on you and what it will do with that information.
* Check security. Make sure your charity is utilizing the latest security safeguards and that your private and financial information is transmitted to a secure server. (Look for the http: in the address bar of your browser to change to https: )
For more about online giving see: Get Into the Spirit of Giving and Get a Tax Break, Too (http://www.kiplinger.com/features/archives/2000/December/spending/charities.html) and Use the Web to Fight Back (http://www.kiplinger.com/columns/tech/archive/2001/tech0912.htm)
Also be sure to check out our resource list (http://www.kiplinger.com/features/resources.html) of September 11 charities.
Other stories I'd recommend include:
* What's the best way to donate stock to charity? (http://www.kiplinger.com/columns/ask/archive/2000/q000519.htm)
* Create a Charity Team (http://www.kiplinger.com/columns/ask/archive/2001/q0516.htm)
* Disaster Relief: Where's the Money Going? (http://www.kiplinger.com/columns/fitness/archive/2001/ff011017.html)
* Look for disclosure. Determine how much of your contribution will actually get to those who need it. Look for administrative expenses, or if you're buying at a charity cyber mall find out how much of the purchase goes to the charity. Remember, if you get something in return for your donation, you can't write off the full amount.
* Check for privacy policies. Use the same level of scrutiny you would reserve for a retail site. Also see what information the charity keeps on you and what it will do with that information.
* Check security. Make sure your charity is utilizing the latest security safeguards and that your private and financial information is transmitted to a secure server. (Look for the http: in the address bar of your browser to change to https: )
For more about online giving see: Get Into the Spirit of Giving and Get a Tax Break, Too (http://www.kiplinger.com/features/archives/2000/December/spending/charities.html) and Use the Web to Fight Back (http://www.kiplinger.com/columns/tech/archive/2001/tech0912.htm)
Also be sure to check out our resource list (http://www.kiplinger.com/features/resources.html) of September 11 charities.
Other stories I'd recommend include:
* What's the best way to donate stock to charity? (http://www.kiplinger.com/columns/ask/archive/2000/q000519.htm)
* Create a Charity Team (http://www.kiplinger.com/columns/ask/archive/2001/q0516.htm)
* Disaster Relief: Where's the Money Going? (http://www.kiplinger.com/columns/fitness/archive/2001/ff011017.html)