The ousting of top executives at the Wounded Warrior Project amid accusations of excessive spending highlights the need for donors to do some digging before giving. It's not the first time concerns have been raised about charity finances.
From a nondescript office downtown on Washington Street, Tracy Turner at the Community Foundation of Western Nevada updates her list…on what are the most worthy charities in town: "I research regularly for donors the charities locally, and I make site visits for donors to those charities to find the ins and outs of their operations."
Vetting charities has taken a whole new importance…after the recent scandal at the Wounded Warriors Project…which is now trying to regain trust after firing their CEO and COO for their lavish spending on conferences, meetings and parties. That has affected charities here in northern Nevada. We've had other scandals before. Charities suffer as people limit their donations when they worry about the trustworthiness of the charity they're giving to. As Tracy told us, "It makes people more skeptical."
Across town in the old Lake Mansion…Arts for All Nevada gets the thumbs up from Tracy's organization, the Community Foundation of Western Nevada. Mary Ellen Horan opened the books. As she told us, "Arts for All Nevada has been around for 30 years. They can look at our tax return, they can look at anything." She knows how important that is, after seeing the mistrust from the Wounded Warrior Project scandal: "When I read stories about that, it just kind of makes my stomach turn, because it affects all of us."
Tracy says go through the process she does, and do your research: "I rely on the IRS publication 78. I also rely on the organization's own website and their 990." Those financial forms and others are what Charity Navigator uses. The independent evaluator website gives its highest 4-star rating to these locals: the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Nevada, Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada, and the Nevada Humane Society. The Nevada Museum of Art, and KNPB earned 3 stars. The United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra: 2 stars.
But overall, Tracy says local charities are a better bet. They're more...accessible. "People can actually go into the charities that they're interested in supporting when they give locally. They can go in and see the work."
And one more thing: Mary Ellen also suggests thinking about ways to give back that don't involve money. Meaning…it's not dollars and cents, but often time and giving back, in a meaningful way: "Donate time, yes. And knowledge."
And if you're interested in seeing how local charities rank, we have  links below to both the Community Foundation…and Charity Navigator, the nation's leading independent evaluator:
http://nevadafund.org/causes-nonprofit-connections/nonprofit-connections/
