Lots of folks hurting now & some w the means wondering which orgs to donate to.

Over the course of my career I have worked or volunteered at over 30 nonprofit orgs.

I hate to say it, but SO MANY nonprofits are shady AF.

Here's the steps I go through to distinguish them

For me, Step #1: Who runs the organization?

Is it a white privileged man? If so, why? I mean, it's 2020. They really couldn't find someone from the marginalized group they claim to serve to run things?

Have they had the same leader for decades? They are unwilling to adapt.

Step #2: How do they treat their employees?

You can always look at Glass Door. Not all the reviews are accurate, but if there are tons of former employees saying they have terrible working conditions— they probably do. https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/index.htm

Another thing I look at is their website. Do they feature employees in a way that celebrates them as valuable assets? Do they have photos of them? How do they talk about them?

If they ONLY ever feature the leader (President, Executive Director...) that's a red flag

The other thing I look at is retention. If they have constant turnover, I assume they treat staff poorly.

Why does this matter? I want to donate to an org that actually *lives* their professed values.

If they don't value staff, they can't possibly value the people they serve.

Step #3 is looking for signs of embezzlement.

I don't want to give money to an org people are stealing from & this is WAY MORE common than you think.

I wrote a whole thread about it: https://twitter.com/Kate_Kelly_Esq/status/1296469600746508289?s=20

Step #4: I look for local folks doing high-impact work.

Places that have a national presence might do great work, esp if they have local partners. But, I like to donate to smaller groups.

My $100 goes a LONG way if I donate to @WyoEquality rather than a bigger national org.

Step #5: Is the org racist?

You can tell by their public messaging.

Is it white-savior-y? Do they have lots of photos of white (doctors, lawyers, volunteers) surrounded by black children? Do they have people of color in charge, or just support (secretary, junior staff)?

Step #6: Do they do actual work?

This seems like a silly question, but LOTS of nonprofits put a lot of work into *looking* like they do work (but don't actually do anything substantive).

Is their Communications department their largest department w more staff than any other?

I distrust orgs that just tweet about what's in the news as if *they* had anything to do with it.

"Big victory in the Supreme Court today! Donate now!"

Wait... what did YOUR ORG have to do w that victory? Do you pay the lawyers involved? Have you supported the plaintiffs?

Step #7: Pay people fair wages.

Contrary to popular belief, one thing I DON'T mind $$ going to is "administrative costs."

I don't want orgs paying people horrendous wages to fight poverty, for example.

I want well-treated staff to be supported in the important work they do.

I am ok w 100% of my donation going to a hard-working nonprofit employee's salary (aka "administrative costs). I would donate to an org who did an "endowed" position, like professors do.

That includes the CEO. They run huge, complicated organizations & should be compensated.

There are many other considerations, of course, but one final thing I'll say is to think about if you want to support:

-Direct services (things like food banks, legal aid etc.)

or

-Systems change (orgs that try to change policy, do impact-litigation etc.)

Both are necessary.