Decide what you want your gift to support
Begin with the need rather than the loudest appeal. You may want to support people affected by human trafficking, protect ecosystems, sustain a service near home or contribute to an issue you have followed for years. A cause can be personal without the decision being impulsive.
Then ask what kind of response you want to help fund. Immediate assistance, long-term support, prevention, research and public-interest advocacy have different roles. A charity concentrating on one part of the response is not necessarily neglecting the others; it may work alongside organizations with different expertise. Look for a clear account of its own role and how people reach the support it offers.
For Not For Sale, the relevant starting points are our mission and approach and the Giving Tuesday case for support. Reading those should help you decide whether our approach aligns with the work you want to sustain.
Establish who is asking for money
Use the charity’s full name and official website. Similar names, copied logos and persuasive messages are not enough to establish identity. If an appeal arrives through a social post or message, find the organization independently and check whether the giving route is recognized there.
In the United States, the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search provides information about federal tax-exempt organizations and certain filings. Elsewhere, use the relevant official charity regulator. Registration is an identity and compliance check, not a complete assessment of effectiveness. 05
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission advises donors to research a charity, resist pressure and review payment details carefully. It also cautions that an encrypted website alone does not prove that an appeal is legitimate. 06
Read the explanation of the work
A useful charity website should let you answer a plain question: what happens because this organization exists? Look for an account of activities, the people involved and the need those activities address. If the description moves straight from a serious problem to a payment button, pause and seek the missing explanation.
Specificity does not require exposing a survivor’s identity or publishing sensitive locations. An organization can describe how support is arranged, which services it provides, how referrals work and what safeguards govern storytelling without putting people at risk. The absence of graphic personal accounts should not be mistaken for an absence of evidence.
Ask whether the organization explains limits as well as achievements. A serious account can acknowledge an incomplete result, a difficult context or a change of approach. An appeal that implies every activity succeeds without complication deserves closer examination.
Understand the numbers before comparing them
| Measure | What it can tell you | What it does not establish alone |
|---|---|---|
| People reached | The reported scale of contact or participation | Whether each person experienced lasting change |
| Services delivered | Which activities took place | Whether all needs were met |
| People supported | A defined count within a reporting period | Whether the figure counts unique people or repeat contacts |
| Trees planted | A planting activity occurred | Survival, ecosystem recovery or a carbon offset |
| Funds raised | Money recorded under a stated definition | Net income after costs or money already received |
| An individual story | One person’s account, used with permission | A representative result for every participant |
These are questions for interpreting evidence, not reasons to dismiss it. If a report says “people supported,” look for the definition and dates. If the figure is cumulative, do not present it as this year’s result. If a campaign gives an example of what a donation might help fund, check whether it is illustrative or a binding promise about that exact gift.
Read finances alongside the mission
Financial information helps explain how an organization resources its work. Look at the period covered, the major sources of income and how expenditure is described. A single spending ratio cannot tell you whether an organization is doing useful work: the accounts need to be read with the activities and results.
For example, staff supervision, safeguarding, technology and financial controls are all things a donor may reasonably want an organization to have. The useful question is how those costs relate to the work and whether they are explained. Avoid assuming that the lowest administrative percentage necessarily describes the strongest organization.
Not For Sale publishes a financial transparency page and an impact reporting page. Some underlying documents may require a request through the website. If you need a particular report to decide, ask for it rather than relying on a headline total. 07, 08
Choose how to give
A one-time gift creates a single financial commitment. A monthly gift creates an ongoing one. Consider the total commitment over a year, whether the amount is comfortable and how you would change it if your circumstances altered. There is no need to choose recurring giving to prove that you take the cause seriously.
General support and restricted support also differ. General support allows the organization to apply funds within its mission and applicable terms. A restricted gift is intended for an agreed purpose. A page about an issue does not, by itself, establish a formal restriction. Read the actual giving terms and ask before donating if an allocation is important to your decision.
A fundraising platform adds another question: who initially receives the money, and how does it reach the charity? Check the named recipient, fees, transfer arrangements and receipt information. If you simply want to give directly, begin with the charity’s official website.
Check a matching offer carefully
A match can be useful, but its value depends on the actual offer. Ask who supplies the additional money, which gifts qualify, the maximum amount, the period covered and what happens when the limit is reached. An employer program may require a separate submission after the original donation.
Illustrative example: a company offers a one-for-one match up to a total of $2,000. If qualifying gifts total $3,000, the additional company contribution is capped at $2,000, not $3,000. If the company has not yet confirmed payment, describe that amount as expected or pending rather than received. This is arithmetic illustrating a hypothetical offer, not a Not For Sale campaign promise.
The final check before payment
- Is the organization receiving the money the one you intended?
- Does the amount show the correct currency?
- Is the gift one-time or recurring, as you intended?
- Does the stated purpose match what you want to support?
- Have you reviewed optional fees or additional contributions?
- Do you know where to find your confirmation and ask a question?
If the answers are clear, you have a basis for proceeding. You do not need to become a professional charity evaluator before making a gift, but you should understand the commitment you are making.
