There is nothing worse than giving your hard earned money or belongings to an organization that takes advantage of our human spirit. Many of these organizations have been named in several places as disreputable and scammers.
Did the Youth Development Fund really scam money off of elderly people?
Did The Elena Tresh Foundation really seek to use the name of a child to scam people out of money while the founders use the money to support themselves and not the dying children they claim to help? Is the founder really a drug addict who lost her license and continues to raise money to cover her expensive habits?
I requested Form 990 from both of these charities and have received no response. Three phone calls to The Elena Tresh Foundation went unreturned. The Youth Development Fund has also never responded to repeat requests.
Did The Elena Tresh Foundation scam money off of the community? I can only say that any reputable charity would gladly offer copies of their financial records and spending, not just 2-3 random stories of good deeds. Good deeds are definable by the money we give and how it is spent. Be proactive! ASK for financial records and call out the bad eggs.
It takes a little work but you can check all charities out before you throw your money away to bad people using good causes to line their own pockets.
There are websites dedicated to helping research BEFORE you spend. Charitynavigator.org is one that I use. Although neither of these charities is listed there, they offer a lot of very good advice for checking the facts along with ratings of many other charities where your money might be better spent.
The BBB isn't great, but can be another resource for checking. But most of all, ask the charity for financial reports. If they aren't willing to give them readily to you, don't give to them!
DONOR BEWARE. When in doubt, look for a better way to give back.
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