Consumer-SOS Legal Help and Consumer Advice

Contact Us 

Accidents & Injuries
Bankruptcy
Banks & Credit Unions
Business
Cars & Motor Vehicles
Charities
Children & Parents
Colleges/Grants&Loans
Contracts
Credit & Debt
Crime Victims Domestic Violence
Criminal Justice&Police Misconduct
Disabilities
Divorce & Marriage
Food Matters

Government 
& Gov. Assistance

Health & Medical
Health Clubs

Homeless

Home Matters
Immigrants/Refugees
Insurance
Internet
Landlord/Tenant

Lawyers/Cts/Self-Help
Mail & Postal
Money & Investments
Occupational- 
Licensing Boards

People Search

Phone & Utilities

Privacy/IdentityTheft
Public Records

Refunds, Repairs & Replacements
Scams & Cons
Seniors
Support Groups
Taxes
Travel
Wills, Probate & Estates 
Work/The Wk Place

Home  Georgia  Charities & Giving


Charities & Giving
Grants & Funding
Information In Your State
National & General Information


Related Topics
Find Or Background A Business

 

 



 

 

 















 

 



 

 

 

















Information In Your State
Tips On Charitable Giving

Laws On Charities
Charity Profiles
Tips On Tax Deductions for Charitable Contributions
Agencies That Regulate or Monitor Charities

Back To Top 





 

 



 

 

 
































Tips On Charitable Giving

*When You Are Asked To Give, A Donor's Guide To Charities (GA)
(Has GA specific requirements for charities as well as tips & warnings)

*Charities-What To Ask Them & What To Look Out For (GA)

Using "Watchdog" Groups To Evaluate Charities
(Consumer-SOS)

Selecting A Charity (Getting The Right Answers) (Consumer-SOS)  

Evaluating A Charity Yourself
(Consumer-SOS)

Helpful Resources
(Consumer-SOS)

Giving To Foundations
(Consumer-SOS)

Giving Securities
(Consumer-SOS)


Back To Top
 






 

 



 

 

 










































GA Charity Profiles

Which Ones Were Stingy With Their $
 

Search Database For Charities Registered in GA

GuideStar (All States)
Their database has more than 1,000,000 IRS-recognized nonprofit organizations, their financial information and what they do. You can find them by keyword or name, activity, city, state, zip code, nonprofit type, revenue range, employer identification number, or NTEE code.

Other Helpful Resources (Consumer-SOS) 


Back To Top
 



 

 



 

 

 


























 

 



 

 

 











Laws On Charities

GA Official Code


Back To Top
 






 

 



 

 

 
















 

 



 

 

 




 

 



 

 

 





















Agencies That Monitor or Regulate Charities

*Charities-Tips and Regulatory Agencies (What To Ask Them & What To Look Out For)

GA Better Business Bureaus

Atlanta Legal Aid & GA Senior Hotline

*Other Consumer Protection Agencies

Find The AARP In Your State
The AARP offers legal advocacy for seniors and may also have state specific consumer brochures which are available to everyone.

Back To Top
 




 

 



 

 

 












































National (Includes BBB  & FTC Brochures)

Tips On Charitable Giving
Selecting a charity, evaluating charities and where else to go for more information. Has GA and National.

Tips On Charitable Giving (BBB)

Guidelines for Business Giving

Beware Of Bogus Law Enforcement Groups

Tips On Tax Deductions For Charitable Contributions


Back To Top 

National Groups That Can Help Evaluate Charities

Helpful Resources (Consumer-SOS)

National Charities Information Bureau 
Rates charities on whether they meet acceptable standards for giving.  Note: A charity will not receive an evaluation unless a large number of people have asked about the organization.

All evaluations are done for free so the charity has no excuse for not filling out the form.
  Upon request, NCIB will also provide printed reports on specific charities.  To order a free copy of their" The Wise Giving Guide" which tells which charities meet their standards, write to NCIB, 19 Union Square, New York, NY 10003.

The American Institute of Philanthropy (301) 913-5200    Evaluates about 350 charities and offers guidance on selecting one.  Charities are evaluated for free and do not  need to pay a fee to be listed. Keep in mind that some charities won't be listed.  Charities are selected for   evaluation based on the number of people who ask about them.  The fact that a charity volunteers for evaluation does not guarantee the organization will be evaluated.

Charitable Choices  
This site gives brief overviews of more than 200 charities, including the American Red Cross and the Environmental Defense Fund, and often includes links to the charities' individual web sites.  It has some good tips for choosing a charity and such useful information as how much of your donation will be spent on administration and fund raising.  Browse  organizations by the field in which they work, such as children, civil and human rights of the homeless.  

The Evangelical Council For Financial Accountability
                                     (800) 323-9473
 
Evaluates over 900 Christian organizations and will tell you if a specific charity is a member.  Some charities may choose not to participate because of their $200 application fee.  Members must also pay annual dues which vary according to the cash income of the organization.

Guidestar (800) 421-8656  
Search Guidestar's free online data base for information on  over 1,000,000 non-profits.  Guidestar  makes it easy to find the right charity to give to, and you can find charities by name, subject location, etc... The Guidestar website can help you find information on charities with results ranging from simple name and address listings, to reports with extensive financial information to reports with additional input from charities on their mission, accomplishments and objectives. 

The Combined Federal Campaign\Office of Personnel Management                         (202) 606-2564
All  Members must have administrative and fund raising expenses below 25% of their total costs or have viable plans to get expenses below 25%.  All members of the Campaign are required to be 501(c)(3) corporations and shall certify that they are directed by active and responsible governing bodies whose members have no material conflicts of interest.  

The CFC also requires that a majority of these members serve without compensation.  To join the CFC costs nothing.  Membership is free for any non-profit that qualifies.  Benefit to givers: Members of the CFC must be extremely accountable with their funds.  Thus donors know their money will go to a good cause and be spent responsibly. Benefit to Member Charities: CFC charities can solicit funds from federal employees at their work place so long as they follow CFC guidelines.  If the employee makes a donation, such can be taken directly from the employee's  payroll.  This enables millions of federal workers to give money in convenient, small weekly amounts and keep track of such for tax write-off purposes.  To make a donation, federal employees need merely list the member organization and weekly    amount they wish to give.  From there, the money will be automatically deducted from their paychecks.  

America's Charities (800) 458-9505  
Evaluates member charities. This group is a coalition of 92  member charities that pay annual dues based on how much they raise each year.[ii]  Members must have less than 25% of their expenditures go to administrative costs and are required to  register with the IRS as a 501 (C)(3) organization. 

Internal Revenue Service (877) 829-5500
Speak to their "exempt organization division" to receive  information on charities that filed under code section 501(C)(3). 

Check out their web site for a listing of tax exempt organizations (click on tax information for business and then click on "exempt organizations").  Publication 557 helps describe the difference between 501(c(3), (501(c)(4)(civic leagues such as the fraternal order of police or volunteer fire department) and 501(c)(19)(veterans organizations).  

Atlanta Better Business Bureau (404) 688-4910
Information source for old & new scams.  Use the Atlanta BBB to check up on local companies and charities.  Note: Their   database may not list charities located outside of Georgia.  Be sure to ask them for a free copy of charities that meet  and don't meet their standards.

Georgia Secretary of State (404) 656-4910 
Learn
if a charity is registered with the state and examine their financial statements. Please note: the fact that a charity is registered does not guarantee that it's legitimate. To register, all a charity needs to do is fill out an application and file it with the Secretary of State.  Also, keep in mind that not all organizations are required to register.  Organizations exempt from registering include churches and organizations governed by churches, schools or institutions governed by schools, trade associations, political groups, and fund-raising groups that annually solicit less than $25,000.

Consumer Information Center (800) 664-4435.  
They have local and toll free numbers for both government and non-profit agencies.  This agency can help you find the charity registration office located in your state.
   

The Christian Stewardship Association (800) 475-1976

The Yellow Pages 
Look under "Grants" or "fundraising"
.

Your Pastor or Rabbi may also know of organizations willing to help your cause or endeavor.  

Back To Top

 

Foundations

Foundations give money to special groups that meet the foundation's giving requirements.  The groups below can help find a foundation that gives to your special need.

The Council On Foundations (202) 466-6512
Provides contact numbers for local foundations. No longer free

Foundation Center (800) 424-9836 or (404) 880-0095  No longer free
The Foundation Center can direct you free of charge, to the organizations most likely to give grants to your cause.  Their directories will help you locate grant makers by subject, geographic area and a variety of other factors.  While they will answer quick reference question over the phone, they will not do your research for you.  You must create your list of potential donors based on what you find in their library.  The Foundation Center also has information on how to set up and manage foundations and other types of non-profit organizations. Non-profits receive a free library orientation session each Tuesday 9-10:30 a.m. Call ahead for an appointment.  

The Yellow Pages 
Look under "Grants" or "fundraising"
.


Back To Top