EdwardWLong.com - Thoughts and tools on charity and life

Find a nonprofit IRS Form 990 super fast and free

You know that the EIN (Employer Identification Number) is the unique identifier for any nonprofit registered with the IRS. EIN checking is more precise than DNA testing.

And the EIN is the gateway to information about the nonprofit, with the organization’s IRS Form 990 being the first place to look.

CharityCheck101.org is my favorite way to find EINs. It’s super fast and free. Of course, you can also ask the nonprofit to tell you its EIN (they should do so without hesitation).

Now there’s a super fast and free way to use an EIN to find an organization’s latest Form 990. More . . .

Raleigh man collects for fake veterans charity

Charity Fake News

From WRAL.com:

HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. — A Raleigh man faces a fraud charge after, police say, he collected thousands of dollars from people for a bogus veterans charity.

Daniel D. James, 63, of 5805 Old Forge Circle, was arrested last Saturday outside a Walmart in Holly Springs on charges of obtaining property by false pretense and violating the local begging ordinance.

Read more . . .

Charity Fakes

Whether tying themselves to a prominent cause or preying on compassion related to a natural disaster, “charity” fakes are a year-round plague. And “charity” fakers do double damage — they steal from you and they steal from those you want to help with your donated dollars.

More . . .

Charity Fakes on IRS Dirty Dozen list

Charity Fake News

From the IRS “Dirty Dozen” list of tax scams for 2019:

Fake Charities: Groups masquerading as charitable organizations solicit donations from unsuspecting contributors. Be wary of charities with names similar to familiar or nationally-known organizations.

Read more . . .

Charity Fakes

Key Worldwide Foundation tax returns are easy to find (admissions scandal)

You don’t have to be a hacker

You can easily examine the latest tax returns for the Key Worldwide Foundation, the nonprofit in the middle of the college admissions scandal.

They’re publicly available, under the public records rules that apply to all nonprofits and charities.

It takes less than three minutes to find a return

Here are the steps:

More . . .

Introducing – What part of NO?

No, it isn’t about some country song. It’s about the observation that signs telling us “no” are all around us. I started taking photos of “no” signs a while back. I’m building a gallery, just for the heck of it, on this page.

My list of top charity research sites – 2019

The free charity research websites provide a wealth of information.

They’ll help you track down individual charities and view their operations and finances.
You can check charity missions, programs, spending, assets, liabilities, staff and board, and much more.

Tip: Using a nonprofit’s EIN (employer identification number) is the fastest, most accurate way to do nonprofit and charity research. More about EINs.

See my top seven sites, with a brief description of the focus of each . . .

I updated my list on March 1, 2019.

Trump and Clinton Foundation tax returns are easy to find

You don’t have to be a hacker

You can easily examine the latest tax returns for the foundations associated with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

They’re publicly available, under the public records rules that apply to all nonprofits and charities.

It takes less than three minutes to find each

Here are the steps:

More . . .

IRS announces charity volunteer mileage rate for 2019

The Internal Revenue Service has issued the 2019 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes.

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2019, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be: More . . .

Protect your year-end donation deductions

A Q&A to help you protect your year-end charitable deductions

Question #1: You use your credit card to donate to a qualified charity on December 31 this year. You don’t pay the credit card bill until January next year. For which year do you get to take the charitable contribution deduction on your federal (IRS) income taxes? Of course, you’ll only get an charitable donation deduction if you itemize deductions on your return.

Answer: Donations charged to a credit card before the end of the year count for that year. This is true even if the credit card bill isn’t paid until the next year. In other words, credit card contributions are deductible in the year the charge is entered into the system. The timing is easy to prove — you use the date on the credit card slip or receipt. Be sure the slip or receipt shows the December date (sometimes credit card charges don’t get processed right away, and your statement might show a January date for the charge).

Question #2: Instead of using a credit card, you use your bank debit card or PayPal account (that draws directly from your bank account) to make the December 31 donation. Your bank statement doesn’t show up until January. For which year do you get to take the contribution deduction? Of course, you’ll only get an charitable donation deduction if you itemize deductions on your return. More . . .

Avoid Fake Charities using Charity DNA

Natural disasters, dread diseases or the plight of veterans – they bring out the scammers who create fake charities to grab the dollars of caring men and women.

“Charity” scammers do double damage. They take from the donor, and they take from those the donor wanted to help.

Before you donate to any group that’s new to you, investigate the group’s identity. It’s easy to do once you obtain the group’s EIN (its Charity DNA). Once you have the EIN you can do a Reverse Lookup to see if it’s recognized by the IRS.

A common fake charity ploy is to use a name that looks like a prominent charity. This builds on the confusion already out there because many existing charities having similar names. Search for charities with “disaster relief” in their name and you’ll find more than 220. Search for those with “warrior” in their name and you’ll find more than 1,400. Search for those with “cancer” in their name and you’ll find more than 3,300. Search for those with “veteran” in their name and you’ll find more than 17,400.