“It is more difficult to give money away intelligently than to earn it in the first place.”
-Andrew Carnegie
As the tragic war in Ukraine unfolds, Red Tortoise clients looking to aid the millions of victims of the war have asked for our input in maximizing the impact of their donations. To help, we have assembled a list of resources to locate organizations that are serving their needs.
Charity Navigator is a nonprofit organization that provides donors with free access to data, tools, and resources to guide philanthropic decision-making. They evaluate charities on how efficiently they steward donations. They assemble a list of highly rated organizations involved in the Ukraine humanitarian relief, recovery, and peace-building efforts. Their list can be found here: Charity Navigator
Vanguard Charitable is a large sponsor of donor-advised funds. In conjunction with Charity Navigator they prepared a list of highly rated organizations responding to the situation in Ukraine. Their list can be found here: Vanguard Charitable
CAF America is an organization that enables cross-border giving by Americans. They help facilitate gifts to foreign charities in a way that qualifies for a Federal charitable income tax deduction. They charge fees to facilitate such gifts. For those looking to be more adventurous with their giving their list can be found here: CAF America
You will notice that many of the charities are very large and established organizations. Donating to such charities helps protect you from inadvertently donating to a fraudulent scheme. Donating to a large organization also warrants some caution if you wish your donation to support a specific cause. These organizations often provide relief to many causes and geographies, so if you want your donation to support a particular cause you need to specify it at the time you make the donation.
Our list is not a complete list of organizations assisting in this effort. We encourage you to research any organization you give money to ensure your contribution is used for good ends.
We encourage you to be tax smart when making your charitable gifts. By doing so, you can maximize the impact of your giving. See our post on the topic The Exponential Benefits of Charitable Giving. Please be aware that gifts made directly to foreign charities are generally not tax deductible. Should you have any questions about the best way to proceed, please contact us.