Dozens of them flutter into the mailboxes in the run-up to Christmas – donation letters from aid organizations. Many people want to help, but are unsure who to entrust their money to: Does it make a difference whether you donate to a small or a larger organization? And what else do you need to consider in order to have a good feeling when donating and to be sure that the money will arrive at the right place?
DZI awards donation seals to serious organizations
The German Central Institute for Social Issues in Berlin (DZI) is a foundation under civil law and is supported by the Federal Ministry for Family, Seniors, Women and Youth, among others. Every year the DZI awards donation seals and thus helps consumers to find a reputable organization that is worthy of donation. For example, the institute checks how the donations are used, how high the administrative costs are and how the supervisory bodies control the management of the organization.
Burkhard Wilke, Managing Director and Scientific Director at the DZI, clarifies the most important questions to be considered when making donations and what to look out for in organizations that solicit donations.
Point 1: How big is the organization?
Seriousness is not a question of size, says Wilke: “There are very small organizations that are very serious and of course very large ones that are also serious.” So the size of an organization does not play a role in the selection if you want to do something good.
Point 2: How does the organization advertise?
What, in the experience of the DZI, is important for the seriousness check: The way in which the organizations approach potential donors. “If I get a donation letter or see a commercial or am approached on the street and extremely pathetic photos are used – if I feel very morally pressured, then that is a warning sign. I should definitely not promote such an organization”, says Wilke.
The DZI explicitly warns of a number of organizations on its website and describes their tricks. For example, there is an organization that sends lavish gifts to future donors in advance. Potential donors should be urged to donate because of their bad conscience.
Point 3: How transparent is an organization?
A look at the website can also help to check the seriousness of the donation organization. For example, there should always be an annual report, the names of the board members and how the donations were used, says Wilke.
“In the case of small organizations, we recommend making a donation if you know the association, know those responsible and trust them, then that is a wonderful basis of trust for a safe donation,” says Wilke and adds: “I should be careful with smaller associations who don’t have a donation seal and who I don’t know personally either (…). “
It is possible on the DZI’s homepage, too to look for serious organizations according to their focus. For example, currently on the Amazon rainforest, Syria or emergency aid in Northern Iraq.
Point 4: What about personal donations on the street?
Especially with people begging on the street, many are unsure: Are they really in need of help or maybe they belong to begging gangs who don’t keep the money they have collected but have to give it away?
Wilke advises sticking to the suggestions of charities such as Caritas or Diakonie. They advise people who beg on the street to be taken seriously, to give them an awareness and not to just walk past as if they were a discarded object. Those who give them a small amount are usually not doing anything wrong, according to the donation expert. If a gang of beggars was on the move, the local newspapers would usually point it out because the police would notice and warn publicly about it.
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