54 | NOVEMBER 23 • 2023 

GIFT GIVING

of their donation will go to 
the charity. Some charitable 
organizations contract with 
professional fundraisers and 
agree to receive only 10% 
or 15% of total donations 
collected. This is why it is so 
important to educate yourself 
before donating. 
Exactly what information 
should you ask for? The 
solicitor is required to give 
you a truthful answer when 
you ask, “What percentage of 
my donation does the charity 
keep after all fundraising costs 
are paid?” It is important to 
ask the question using this 
exact wording because often 
donations are funneled through 
a bank account with the 
charity’s name. Thus, if you ask 
“How much does the charity 
get?” The solicitor can say that 

100% goes to the charity, while 
in fact after being billed for 
fundraising costs, the charity 
ends up with very little. 

You may also want to ask 
the charity, “What percentage 
of my donation is used 
for program services (the 
organization’s charitable 
purpose) rather than on 
administrative, management 
or fundraising costs?” In some 
cases, the organization may 
do little charitable work other 
than support its fundraisers 
or founders. With so many 
worthy charities to donate to, it 
is important to make sure that 
your generosity is being well 
used.

• What’s going to happen to 
my donation?
Charities should provide 

information on the 
programs supported by your 
donations. They should be able 
to provide an annual report 
showing what proportion of 
your contribution will go to 
program costs and how much 
is used for administrative costs 
or fundraising. If a charity fails 
to be transparent, you should 
consider donating instead to 
one that is. 

• Is my donation tax-
deductible?
For your donation to be tax 
deductible the organization 
must have received 501(c)
(3) status as a charitable 
organization from the IRS. The 
501(c)(3) organizations may be 
searched using the IRS’ Select 
Check. 
Some types of donations 

deserve special mention at this 
time of the year when charities 
may appeal to donors seeking 
to maximize deductions for 
charitable contributions. 
Churches, synagogues, temples, 
mosques and government 
entities are generally not 
required to obtain 501(c)
(3) status. Donations to these 
institutions are still deductible.

• Before you write that 
check:
Review AGCharitySearch, 
the Attorney General’s 
website, or call the Attorney 
General’s Charitable Trust 
Section at (517) 335-7571 to 
inquire about a charity. For 
questions about police and fire 
organizations, call the public 
safety organizations hotline at 
(800) 769-4515. 

continued from page 52

Be Brilliant!

Donate: Help us establish 24 
Kid Success Neighborhoods by 2024.

Give In-Kind: Support our 
Toy and Winter Clothing Drive 
( Nov.15 - Dec. 1) for those in need.

Volunteer: Make a hands-on impact 
in our community.

Spread the word: Follow us on 
social media and help spread our 
Giving Tuesday message.

Visit: 
brilliantdetroit.org/GivingTuesday 
and be the catalyst for our 
2024 success!

Our Story: In 2016, 
Brilliant Detroit began building 
“kid success neighborhoods” 
to ensure families with children 
“belly” to age eight have what 
they need to be school-ready, 
healthy, and supported. Today, 
Brilliant Detroit Hubs exist in all 
Detroit districts working with, 
for, and by our neighbors.

By 2024, we aim to have 24 
Brilliant Detroit Hubs to reach 
transformative change. 
Help us reach our goal! 

Let’s work together to assure that zip codes 
do not predict whether a childs future is 
bright or not.

