Tips on giving tzedakah wisely

SORIYA DANIELS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN

One of the most famous phrases of the Jewish New Year is "Repentance, prayer and charity avert the Evil Decree." Sounds direct, but is it? Trying to navigate the myriad charities is confounding.

In deciding where to donate funds, there is often that extra layer of complexity with Jewish charities that comes with evaluating a North American arm of such-and-such charity (aka Friends of ____ - fill in the blank) benefiting some sector in Israel, or Jewish people living in distressed conditions in a far-off country and so forth. Then come questions of how much to donate and in what manner to give. Next, you may wonder what percentage of money received by the organization is actually funding the programs and services defined by the charity's mission statement and what amount is contributing to the hefty paycheques and perks of the charity's presidents and chief officers. And somewhat surprisingly, the question that most people don't ask themselves, but should, is "How do I ascertain which charitable organizations are legitimate and which are fraudulent?"

Discouraged? Don't be, and certainly, don't stop giving, just give wisely.

Suzanne Coffman is director of communications at Guide Star, the National Database of Nonprofit Organizations, which maintains an online database on thousands of nonprofit organizations based on their American income tax filings with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

"If you find a charity on Guide Star, at the very least, it is a legitimate organization," said Coffman. However, she cautioned that you cannot infer that an organization is fraudulent simply because it is not included in their database. "For instance," she said, "faith-based organizations are not required to register with the IRS, so they wouldn't be on our Web site."

Coffman recommended that people look at an organization's mission and the specificity of their programs and ask themselves how verifiable it is. "Look out for organizations that are vague in the way they describe their programs and purposes, and how they will accomplish them," she said.

If you are approached by an unfamiliar charity, check it out. Most states and provinces require charities to register with them and file annual reports showing how they use donations. Also, beware of sound-alikes. Some crooks try to fool people by using names that are very similar to those of legitimate, well-known charities.

The Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance, which reports on charities and other soliciting organizations, offers free Charity Reports on their Web site, www.give.org. Like Guide Star, the list of charities evaluated is not exhaustive, especially those whose primary operations are in Israel. If you seek to verify the authenticity of a local charity that solicits regionally, contact the local Better Business Bureau. Often, the bureau points out, the best source of information is the charity itself. Contact the organization directly and request a copy of its most recent annual report and relevant tax form. There, you can find out how much of the money it receives goes toward its stated mission and how much goes toward executive salaries, fund-raising and administrative costs.

"Beware of appeals that bring tears to your eyes, but tell you nothing of the charity or what it is doing about the problem it describes so well," offers the Better Business Bureau in its tip sheet for avoiding charity scams.

Some charities in brief

According to Maimonides' treatise on tzedakah, translated not as "charity" but rather "doing justice," the highest level of charity is to help prevent a person from becoming poor. For example, finding someone a job or teaching a person a trade. The next highest level occurs when a person contributes anonymously to a tzedakah fund which is then distributed to the poor. Jewish law commands that a person contribute between 10 and 20 per cent of their net income to tzedakah.

It is wonderful to encourage and facilitate charitable giving on the part of our children. The b'nai mitzvah is an important spiritual passage that is often reduced in our culture to an elaborate party and gift-giving bonanza. As parents, we can imbue spiritual and profound meaning to these celebrations by designating a portion of these gifts to go toward a tzedakah of the child's choosing.

Statistically speaking, most Americans contribute to their synagogue or the well-known United Jewish Appeal or the United Jewish Communities. This is certainly commendable, but there are many smaller, specific organizations that also need help. Here's a look at a few that were researched using Guide Star:

Chabad's Children of Chernobyl. Operating under the auspices of the Lubavich Youth Organization, the goal here is to raise money for the rescue and treatment of children affected by radiation from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. As a result of the radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear explosion, tens of thousands of children are now being born with thyroid cancer, bone cancer and leukemia. This organization's stated mission is to rescue 3,000 Jewish children from this dangerous environment in the Ukraine and Belarus. Nearly 2,300 children have already been rescued and relocated to a Chabad village in Israel.

Chai Lifeline/Camp Simcha. Under the aegis of Chai Lifeline, which offers broader support services to the entire family, Camp Simcha is a free kosher sleep-away camp for cancer-stricken children or children with a life-threatening disease. Beyond the mental and physical respite it offers exhausted parents, the camp aims to give seriously ill youngsters a few weeks "off" from the relentless round of doctor visits and hospital stays. Chai Lifeline's founders believed that in a traditional camp setting, sick children would garner the resolve to fight their illness. Today, Camp Simcha serves children throughout North America, Europe and Israel in two three-week sessions. While it remains Chai Lifeline's premier project, Camp Simcha is only a single facet of a network of support services. In Israel, the organization is called Kav L'Chaim.

Friends of Israel Defence Forces. This organization helps support social, educational and recreational programs and facilities for the young men and women soldiers of Israel who defend the Jewish homeland. They also provide services to the widows and children of soldiers who have fallen in defence of Israel. Contributions could be earmarked to the Widows and Orphans Fund if you do not wish to contribute to recreational facilities.

One Family – The Israel Emergency Solidarity Fund. When a terrorist attack occurs, amid the carnage and confusion, One Family springs into action. Through its relationships with all of Israel's emergency rooms and trauma centres, they launch an ongoing support system to help survivors. The organization provides transportation, food, grants and cheques to cover bills, rent, food and tuition costs, and offers grief counselling and other support, such as vocational training, to foster financial independence.

Yad Eliezer. This organization was founded in 1978 to provide food and financial assistance to more than 50,000 people in 17 cities across Israel. They prepare monthly food baskets for delivery to more than 6,000 families who cannot feed their children. The cost of providing food to an individual family, bought in
bulk, is approximately $100 US a month, according to their Web site. They also offer programs whereby you can sponsor a wedding for a poor bride, purchase baby formula for mothers who would otherwise dilute formula to dangerous proportions, or support a meals-on-wheels program for the elderly and disabled.
Donations may be earmarked for particular projects of this charity.

Soriya Daniels is a Florida-based freelance writer.

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