Ask Liz Weston

Some of you work for employers who match your charitable contributions. Good for you, and for them.

Others, like me, work for cheap companies that don’t match. (I’m self-employed).

So I was delighted to hear that two outfits WILL match my contributions to the American Red Cross for Haiti relief efforts. DealNews.com will match your contribution dollar-for-dollar until Thursday Feb. 11 (unless they meet their $50,000 goal earlier) and the Starwood Preferred Guest program will match your donation of points (2,000 points equals a $25 donation). Yay for them, for us and for the people who need our help in Haiti.

Some things are a real waste of money, like appetizer trays from the supermarket or deli. (What, you can’t chop a few vegetables?)

Other expenditures may seem like splurges, but are well worth the money. Here are my nominations; feel free to add yours in the comments.

Valet parking at the mall in December. They could charge me $20 or even more, and I’d think it was a bargain to avoid the endless circling looking for a parking spot. So far, though, the most I’ve paid is $8 plus a tip, and many places charge less.

Oil changes. I used to do this myself—yuck. Now my trusted mechanic does it, and checks all the tanks and belts and other do-dads while he’s at it. He also has to dispose of the oil properly, another yucky task I’m happy to delegate.

Date night. Even when money was tight, hubby and I went out to eat once in awhile. There’s something about being out of the house, where we weren’t constantly reminded of all the chores we had to do, that helped us relax and focus on each other. Now that we have a kid, date night is even more important.

Preventative care and screenings. We have a high-deductible health insurance policy, which means we pay out of pocket for a lot of our health care. I don’t enjoy shelling out huge wads of money when a trip to Paris isn’t involved, but my mom died of a cancer that could have been detected and cured with a simple screening. So spend it we do.

Charitable donations. MSN contributor Donna Freedman has written frequently about how important she feels it is to give, even on her super-tight student budget. Through thick and thin, we’ve tried to keep up our giving, as well. This year, we feel especially blessed, and it’s been fun to involve our daughter in our end-of-the-year donation decision-making. (She likes cheetahs, so some of our contributions will be going to a cheetah preservation fund.) We’re also making a donation to Heifer.org, so I get to say, “I’m getting a water buffalo for Christmas!”

Whatever holiday you celebrate, may you have a joyous and peaceful one and a happy new year.

photo credit: p!o

If you want a poster child for why it’s important to research a charity before you give money, let me present Feed the Children.

Here’s how Daniel Borochoff, president of the American Institute of Philanthropy, summarized the situation when naming Feed the Children 2009’s “Most Outrageous Charity in America”:

From forged audits and alleged employee theft in the late ’90s to alleged burglary and board coup staging within the past year, no other major charity can match Feed the Children’s (FC) record of outrageous behavior over the past ten years. The madcap antics of Feed the Children and Larry Jones, its founder and president for 30 years, may be coming to an end. In August 2009, after months of turmoil at the charity, Mr. Jones agreed to give up control of FC in order to settle a lawsuit between FC’s longstanding board and a new board that he had attempted to install. Fascinating details about many alleged wrongdoings at this charity have been brought to light as a result of this lawsuit.

You can read more at AIP’s Web site.

And just to be crystal clear: Feed the Children is not the same charity as Save the Children, which receives an “A” grade from AIP as well as regular contributions from the Weston family.

We’re well into the biggest giving season of the year, and you owe it to yourself and legitimate, well-run charities to make sure your money is well spent. As attorney Ed Long of SmarterGivingGuy.com puts it, “Every dollar scam ‘charities’ take in is a dollar that could instead have gone to a strong charity doing valuable work with the funds entrusted to it.”

Long will send a free list of tips for avoiding charity scammers, that includes a bunch of helpful links and suggestions, if you sign up for his email group.

Be particularly wary of any organization that claims to collect money on behalf of veterans, police, firefighters or victims of any recent disaster. Scam artists exploit your strong emotions about these groups, hoping you’ll drop your guard and give without checking them out.

Instead, call your local police and fire departments yourself to find out the best way to give. To help disaster victims, give to the Red Cross. If you want to help veterans, AIP gives top marks to these groups:

For more information, read “How to tell a good charity from a bad one.”

The Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on bogus charities, targeting dozens of organizations and individuals across the nation that claim to be raising money for military veterans, firefighters and police officers. In many cases, the money goes to the fundraisers and not the groups needing the money.

Don’t get scammed and let your hard-earned dollars fall into the wrong hands.  If someone asks for a donation, take your time and familiarize yourself with the charity by following these steps:

• Ask for the charity’s name, address, and phone number, and written information about its programs.
• Ask whether the person contacting you is a professional fundraiser and how much of your contribution will go to fundraising costs.
• Check the history of the organization with the office that regulates charities in your state. For a list of state offices, visit the National Association of State Charity Officials.

You should also know the warning signs of a scam:

• High-pressure pitches. Reject them: It’s OK to hang up.
• A “thank you” for a pledge you don’t remember making.  Be skeptical; scam artists will lie to get your money.
• Requests for cash.  Avoid giving cash donations.
• Charities that offer to send a courier or overnight delivery service to collect your money.
• Charities that guarantee sweepstakes winnings in exchange for a contribution.
• Charities that spring up overnight, especially those that involve current events like natural disasters, or those that claim to be for police officers, veterans, or firefighters. They probably don’t have the infrastructure to get your donations to the affected area or people.

Still not sure? Here are some Web sites where consumers can check out a charity:

• www.nasconet.org - National Association of State Charity Officials, where you can look up and contact your state’s charities regulator for more information.

• www.guidestar.org - Guidestar

• www.bbb.org/charity – Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance

• www.charitynavigator.org - CharityNavigator

• www.charitywatch.org – American Institute of Philanthropy

Want more info? Check out my tips on giving:

• How much should you give?

• The 100 most useful Web sites