HOUSTON — It's the time for year-end giving. With a donation, you you can get a tax deduction, but you want to make sure your money goes to the right place.
Here's what you need to do. First, make sure your charity is really tax-exempt. Go to the IRS website and look for that nonprofit. You can search for it by typing in the employee identification number or simply putting in the name of the nonprofit.
Second, be careful how you pay. If somebody asks you to donate in cash, gift card or by wiring money, the Federal Trade Commission says don't do it. They recommend consumers pay by credit card because you can actually track the payment.
Finally, if you're donating through social media, know where the donation link goes. Often times, those links go to crowdfunding campaigns, which go to an individual organizing it. Those are not tax-deductible. There are organizations that track all of these charities. If you want to do more research, we have links posted for you at KHOU.com/GraceCanHelp.
If you have a problem and need help, email GraceCanHelp@khou.com, call (713) 521-HELP or fill out the form below.