Nixon Urges Missourians To Give Both Generously And Wisely To Charities This Holiday Season

November 27, 2007 -- Jefferson City, Mo. — Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon wants consumers to do their homework before contributing money to charities, especially between now and the end of the year. The holiday season is one of the biggest times of the year for charitable contributions, with consumers wanting to show generosity and make deductions from their income taxes.

Nixon’s Web site offers a database listing the finances of almost 900 charities. By clicking the Check-a-Charity link, consumers can search for a charity and determine what percentage of its contributions actually go toward the cause it claims to support.

“For Missourians who plan to give generously to charity this holiday season, we want them to give with their head as well as their heart,” Nixon said.

Nixon offers these guidelines for charitable giving:

* Research the finances of the charity at ago.mo.gov by clicking the Check-a-Charity link. Give to charities that spend at least 65 percent of their donations on program services, and no more than 35 percent on overhead, such as salaries, fundraising and rent.
* Never make a decision during a telemarketing call. Insist on written information by mail. And don’t give out personal information such as credit card, bank account or Social Security number, to anyone who contacts you.
* Don’t be pressured into a decision and don’t give into guilt. Give only when you are comfortable and when all of your questions have been answered to your satisfaction.

For future planning, Nixon encourages consumers to decide their charitable giving a year at a time, rather than make on-the-spot decisions from telemarketing calls and mailings. Consumers can file complaints against charity fundraisers at the Attorney General’s Web site or Consumer Protection Hotline, 1-800-392-8222.

Source: Missouri Attorney General

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