Be Wary When Making Donations to Charities for Haiti

Americans are phenomenal when it comes to donating money when tragedies happen. Unfortunately, there are a few scumbags in the world who will throw up websites or send out emails seeking donations for fake charities, the proverbial rip-off. Fortunately, there is a way to avoid these scams.

The pictures from Haiti are shocking to say the least. I will never, ever complain about building codes again when having work done on my home. The devastation appears to be overwhelming. It is the last thing a country like this, one of the poorest in the region, needs to have happen. Without help, it will never recover and the immediate needs are immense.

As with the Tsunami in 2004, Americans are standing up like the fine people they are. Donations are rolling in and you should be lauded for making them. That being said, you want to make sure they make it to the country. This means the donations need to be made to a legitimate charitable entity. Now there is a very simple way to find out if the agency you are considering is legitimate.

The IRS, of all people, can tell you. Legitimate charitable groups live off of donations. For the donations to be tax deductible, the groups must register with the IRS and prove their bona fides. The IRS keeps a list of these groups and makes it available to the public. During tragedies like the one in Haiti, the IRS puts up a link to the list on its home page. You can just click the link and look to see if the group you are considering is on the list. If they are, they're legit. If not, pick another group.

Red states. Blue states. Republicans. Democrats. It is often said America is a divided country. While we might come to loggerheads over politics, we can be counted on in tough times as a people. The massive amount of money being donated to the relief effort in Haiti proves that once again.

Richard A. Chapo writes about taxes for BusinessTaxRecovery.com where you can learn more about how to donate to charities without running into scams or problems with the IRS.