CHARLOTTE, N.C. – We all get calls and sometimes people even show up at our door looking for money. Before you give, take a step back and check them out.
A local man said he received a call from the Kids Wish Network and the pressure from the caller to make a donation was downright scary.
“Quite pushy,” Rich said. “She wanted an immediate over-the-phone donation.”
He said the call was irritating and intrusive. And Rich did exactly what experts say you should do if pressured to make a donation over the phone. He told the caller he’d look them up on the internet before making a decision on any donations.
NBC Charlotte checked with the Better Business Bureau about the Florida-based charity. Since 2002, the Kids Wish Network has had 13 ratings, most of them giving the charity a one-star rating.
“It’s not a volunteer calling you on the phone, that’s a paid professional and they will be keeping the lion’s share of the donation that you make,” said Tom Bartholomy with the BBB.
Better Business says in 2016, Kids Wish raised a little more than $14 million with $8.1 million going to professional fundraising.
Checking out a charity is easy. Multiple websites and organizations dedicate themselves to making sure you don’t get scammed. The BBB’s Wise Giving Alliance is one, others include Guidestar, Charity Watch and Charity Navigator.
On these sites, you can see how much they raise, their staff, their salaries and how much they spend on fundraising. When Rich and his wife told the caller they wanted to check out the Kids Wish Network before donating, he said the response spoke volumes.
“The supervisor got upset and said, ‘fine, check us out’ and hung up,” he said.
NBC Charlotte’s Bill McGinty emailed twice to the Kids Wish Network through the portal on their website about this phone call and their fundraising, but never heard back.
Giving to charity requires a little bit of work on the park of the donor. Don’t give because someone’s on the phone. Give local or give to charities you know and you’ve researched. At the very least, Google these organizations.