1) Why do you give? 

I give to others out of a sense of compassion and understanding of need. I feel that if you can help you should. Once I made enough money to begin a significant giving program, I considered it an obligation.

2) Why do you think giving is important?

There are so many unmet needs. These needs would increase if people weren’t generous in their donations to charities.    

3) What do you look for in an organization that you'd like to support?

The first thing I look for is my personal familiarity with the organization.   I look at their mission and the goals they have set for themselves. Then I look at their effectiveness and stability.

I’m particularly concerned about start-up charities. Are they going to be able to meet their financial requirements, the bookkeeping, reporting and regulatory requirements that every charity must meet. Because, if they can’t meet these requirements, they will soon be out of business and any money I’ve given to them will not have been well used. 

It’s also important for me to know the areas in which they are involved.   What kind of services do they offer and are these the things I most want to support. There’s no end to the need, so you have to be a thoughtful giver.  

4) What about your experience working with charity organizations? 

In the past, I was active in Civil Rights organizations and was on the board of the Minneapolis Branch of the NAACP. More recently, I served a term on the Charities Review Council Board and I considered that a real learning experience. It made me much more aware of what I should look for in responsible charities.   

In the past, I also volunteered with professional organizations, although they aren’t charities, and currently I am a trustee at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minn.      

5) What advice would you give to other potential donors? 

Start first with your own interests. What areas of giving are most important to you personally? Look at the Charities Review Council Web site or ask them for a copy of their newsletter, since it will help educate you about what is important to effective management of a charity.

6) What has been your best giving experience? 

I can't pick out one specific charity. For a long time, I was like other people giving $25 or $50 a year to a significant list of charities. When I reached a place where I could contribute more, I cut the list some, but I increased my giving to the charities that I continued to support. My own interests lie in areas of mental health, other health organizations like Project Hope and Doctors without Borders. My personal goal is to help the poor worldwide. I’m concerned about the people who are starving or who would receive good medical care if they lived here, but are sick and dying because of the lack of medical resources where they live. 

In the Twin Cities, I give to organizations that serve inner city, urban youth. (I’m a former teacher, so I saw first hand what needs there are.)  I can’t give to everything where there is a need, but I feel good about the ability I now have to give and I give as generously as I can.

Recently, for example, after Hurricane Katrina, I gave a one-time gift to Xavier University in New Orleans, which was devastated by the hurricane. I didn’t go to school there, but my sisters did, and I knew how much need there was. 

7) Has the Charities Review Council been useful for you?

The Council has made me more aware of the various areas of accountability than I was before. I read their reports and I use those or the web site as a resource to see how nonprofits are doing and which ones meet their standards. Recently, I noticed a quarter-page ad in the People, Inc., newsletter, saying that they had met all of the Council’s standards. That was good for the charity, but also for the Council.  I wish more nonprofits would participate.

8) What can donors do to strengthen nonprofits?

Donors need to encourage the charities they support to go through the Council’s review program, known as the Accountability Wizard. It not only helps donors feel more comfortable about giving; it helps nonprofits by showing them how they can strengthen their organization.