Make Responsible Donations - Commentary

Make Responsible Donations - Commentary: "Make Responsible Donations
By: Emily Groff
Issue date: 11/17/05 Section: Commentary
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The holiday season is almost upon us and soon we will be worrying about presents. Many people will donate to charity, either out of good will or as a gift for someone else. Charitable giving is a generous gesture that should be made year-round, not just in December. However, precautions must be taken.

As sad as it is to believe, some people take advantage of the generous impulses of others. In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, public sentiment was with the victims and donations to charitable groups poured in. Unfortunately, not all who collected funds were legitimate. An investigation by ABC News and the American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP) found it is 'far too easy for anybody to set up a charity, get tax-exempt status with the IRS, do very little of anything charitable and get away with it,' according to AIP President Daniel Borochoff. After the hurricanes, fraud was so common that the Department of Homeland Security set up a fraud task force involving several federal agencies.
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