With the flooding going on in parts of the Pacific Northwest, you may feel motivated to donate to a charity to give support to those in need of help.
Local charities probably benefit the best with a monetary donation.
Here are ways you can help flood victims in Whatcom, Skagit, and Snohomish
counties from The Seattle Times- https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/how-to-help-those-affected-by-wa-floods/.
If you hear about a charity to donate to first check them out with
the Washington Secretary of State (SOS). SOS maintains a list of charities registered
with it that you can search at: https://www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/nonprofits-charities/charities/information-donors.
You can also look for reputable charities at,
·
Better Business Bureau, Give.org- https://give.org/
·
Charity Navigator- https://www.charitynavigator.org/
·
Charity Watch- https://www.charitywatch.org/
·
Candid- https://candid.org/
If you hear about a charity that you think you might want to
donate to you can also do a web search with the charity’s name and the words
“complaint,” “review,” “rating,” or “scam.”
Scammers may pretend to be a charity to collect/take your money
and/or collect your personal information. Be wary of unsolicited phone calls or
text messages asking for a donation. Two red flags to watch for include,
·
Pressure to give immediately. A legitimate charity will welcome
your donation whenever you choose to make it.
·
A request for payment by cash, gift card or wire transfer. These
are scammers’ favored payment methods because the money is easy to access and
difficult to trace.
If you see an ad, receive a phone call, email, or text message soliciting
donations resist the urge to give right away. Take a breath and do a little
research before giving.
AARP:
https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/charity/
Federal Trade Commission:
https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2024/11/give-charity-not-scam
National Cybersecurity Alliance:
https://www.staysafeonline.org/articles/how-to-avoid-charity-scams
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