BBB: Charity scammers may surface during holiday season

The holiday season means people in Utah are seeing multiple pitches to donate to charities. It's a good idea to do some research before hitting the "donate" button. Photo credit: City of Baltimore, Md.

<span>SALT LAKE CITY – Utahans are being encouraged to be cautious when donating to nonprofit organizations this holiday season.</span>

<span>Jane Driggs, CEO of the Better Business Bureau Utah, says people should do some homework before making a donation, and be wary of anyone asking for money over the phone or Internet or using high-pressure tactics.</span>

<span>”I think the thing to remember is that any charitable organization will wait for you to do your research,” she stresses. “And if they won’t wait, then don’t give to them.”</span>

<span>Driggs says the opportunity to get swindled this month is higher than normal because so many more people are donating to nonprofit groups, and more organizations are asking for support, as compared to other times of the year.</span>

<span>She says another big factor to consider is how much of each dollar actually goes to help those in need. </span>

<span>Driggs says </span><a href=”http://give.org/” target=”parent”>Give.org</a><span> and </span><a href=”http://charitynavigator.org/” target=”parent”>charitynavigator.org</a><span> are websites where nonprofits can be researched.</span>

<span>”You want to be able to check out the organization and make sure that the funds that you’re giving are actually going to programs that will help people,” she says. “And you want to actually make sure that that charity is being fiscally responsible.”</span>

<span>Driggs adds a good rule of thumb is to support organizations where at least 65 percent of all donations directly benefit those in need.</span>

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