How to Pick a Charity - Specifically for Veterans

BBB does have a charity link.
A charity may or may not be BBB accredited.
For example Texas Wounded Warrior is NOT BBB accredited.
Charity Navigator is a good website.

I like Wounded Warriors!!

If she wants to support a veteran charity, have her check out Purple Heart Parking.

My brother is a Wounded Warrior and he is heading this effort with another Wounded Warrior and Purple Heart Recipient. The goal is get Purple Heart Parking put up all over America. There are spots in many places already! They recently got 51 signs ordered and installed for the county we live in, in Maryland. It was amazing! The spots are right next to handicapped places. Many Purple Heart recipients don't feel handicapped, so they don't use their placards, but they are. Even if it's in a way we can't see.

They do sell t-shirts as a way to raise money, so if she would like to buy a shirt, that would help! They fund the signs completely on their own and through the money raised from t-shirts and donations.

It is a legitimate cause that directly supports those who really gave a lot for us. You can check them out on FB: https://www.facebook.com/parkingspotph

Definitely don't have to, but it's a great way to support Purple Heart Recipients, who are also likely Wounded Warriors.

Added: Hits4Heroes is another one supported locally. My husband has participated for years and my brother headed the donations this year. I got to meet the young man who received the support today, what an amazing guy!!!

We support Wounded Warriors. Tyler knows several people who are utilizing the services and they are being treated with respect and being taken care of.

We support AMVets and Vietnam Vets as both our fathers were veterans of Vietnam.

charitynavigator is a good site.

It's not just whether charities are legitimate - it's how much of their money goes to the fundraising calls or the stuff they send you (address labels, etc.). If you want your money to go to veterans, but if 15% of it goes to printing note cards and 25% goes to paid tele markers and more goes to inflated executive salaries, and only 3% is going to veterans services, she's being ripped off.

My mother gives to way too many charities, like your friend, but at least she tells them that she's sending them X dollars as her contribution for the year, and if they send her any more mailings (not just the notepads but the letters and additional requests for money), she's taking them off her list and will never give to them again. It works.

Your friend should also be careful because many organizations depend on confusion in names - they operate under similar names as legitimate organizations and it's easy for anyone to get confused. Also, if they call her and thank her for her prior contributions, or if they ask for a check to be put at the front door, she should look them up because it's a red flag. For local groups coming door to door or using the name of the local police (or something like the Police Chiefs Association), she should call her local police non-emergency line and ask if they are legit.

Also look on the Attorney General's website for your friends's state - look for registered charities and those under investigation.

Then I'd compile a list of "YES" organizations and "NO" organizations that she can post on her bulletin board or next to her checkbook register.

Wounded Warriors. Totally legit organization and truly do help our wounded warriors.

charitynavigator.org It's the world's largest charity evaluator. VERY easy to navigate and very thorough. This will be the only place you need to check.

What Diane B said.

I recently helped my mom and aunts set something up to protect my grandmother from financial scams. You may want to consider giving her family a heads up that she is making these donations- she may be getting scammed in other areas as well. For example, my Granny was signed up for 900+ channels of TV when she only watches 6 channels and also a dedicated business phone line. The install guy was quite surprised when he showed up to do her "upgrade" and met my wrath...heeheehee...no one messes with my Granny.

Charitynavigator.com is a good place to start. She can't check without the internet, but you can check there and let her know what you learn (if she's open to learning about the charities).

For vetarans, I give to charities associated with the Disabled American Veterans, AMVets, and the VFW. Those are names that I know and trust. If something else comes along that looks good, I'll research it first and then contribute.

Thank you for trying to help our senior citizens make wise financial donations. I think a lot of them get scammed by telemarketers calling to support questionable charities that will mail and envelope. Perhaps you can put her on the "no call" list so they don't get soliticed or role play with them on how to say NO on the phone. You could also identify a few worthwhile legitimate charities, tell her about what they do and help her select which ones she wants to support. If you go to charitynavigator.com and search under "veterans" - 71 charities come up. Look at the ones that are rated with 3 or 4 stars and see which ones are close to her heart and suggest she support those. There is no charge to get a top line rating report on charities. If you want a more detailed report, then I believe you have to subscribe to their services. One I see on there that gets excellent scores is Fisher House Foundation that helps veterans' families while they are hospitalized in VA hospitals across the country. Most of the large national charities are not going to be on the Better Business Bureau website. Good luck!

These days I write a check directly to the PTA and our local volunteer fire dept.
%100 goes to when we intend it to go.
Almost EVERY charity is set up so that 25 cents on every dollar give goes to the charity in question and the rest of it goes to pay the telemarketers/fundraiser - and I don't want to support telemarketers/fundraisers.

This article has a few links to places where you can check out some charities and what percentage they get:

http://www.marketplace.org/topics/your-money/worst-charit...

Hi. First of all, please thank your special 92 year old friend for her charitable giving and support of veterans. As a US Army Soldier who is currently serving, I appreciate her support.

I recommend the Wounded Warrior Project, AMVETS, DAV, and the VFW. Furthermore, if she would like to sponsor and individual who is currently deployed overseas and send them care packages and correspond with them, check out anysoldier.com. When I was deployed, I was blessed to befriend kind folks who sent my unit goodies through anysoldier, and made friends for life. It's a great thing to get a box with goodies and a local Sunday newspaper (with all the advertisements!) when you're half a world away from home.