Many charities have large, bureaucratic administrations.
These organizations’ overhead expenses are very large, and most donation funds are allocated to these expenses and fundraising costs, which means that the majority of donation funds are not going to the donors’ intended end use (direct charity missions & operations).
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) Wise Giving Alliance requires charities to allocate AT LEAST 65% of donation funds to the charity’s actual mission.
100% of Legacy of Healing’s donations are allocated towards mission operations, which include supply costs, equipment logistics fees and government permits.
0% of Legacy donations are allocated towards administrative overhead, since Legacy board members and personnel are all non-paid volunteers.
Furthermore, no Legacy donations are used to pay for fund-raising efforts, volunteer travel expenses or recreational excursion costs.
These facts can be validated by reviewing Legacy of Healing’s IRS Form 990s, which are published at LegacyofHealing.org.
If you’re not familiar with a charity’s operations, check their reputation with a non-profit charity watchdog.
Here are a few of the most reputable charity watchdogs:
Because Legacy of Healing does not have any paid staff and all operations are voluntarily administered, it is not large enough to be audited by such a charity watchdog.
However, Legacy publishes all financial and operational information required by charity watchdogs on its website so that donors can review them.
Many charities serve local communities and are not large enough to be audited by a charity watchdog.
Because Legacy’s members are all volunteers, it falls into this category.
Bennett Weiner, Chief Operating Officer of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, has provided several key pieces of information that a charity must have on its website to be considered trustworthy and financially transparent:
Legacy is proud to feature all this information and more on its website.
Charity watchdogs are charities too and they provide a very reliable service.
Many charities’ donations merely perpetuate their existence instead of furthering their advertised causes.
If well-intentioned people are willing to give up their hard-earned dollars to help others, they should be able to verify that their donations are being used in the manner that they intended.
Sources Used:
Consumer Reports. (2018). “Best and Worst Charities for Your Donations: Important tips to keep in mind in the season of giving.” https://www.consumerreports.org/charities/best-charities-for-your-donations/
