Environmental Non-Profits and Corruption

Who can you trust to give your money to?

In recent years the number of non-profit and charitable organizations has skyrocketed. For the individual or business interested in making a charitable, often tax-deductable, contribution is faced with the need to investigate or do some research on these organizations. Without some due diligence, a kind donation might just land in someone's pockets.

Many donators and the general public often believes that the larger an charitable organization, the more reliable and fiscally responsible. Unfortunately, this is not the case, which in turn makes the screening for reliable non-profit groups more difficult. Take the Red Cross, for example. The Red Cross has recently misappropriated millions of dollars in relief effort to the Hurricane Katrina victims in the United States. Millions have either gone unaccounted for, been lost completely without financial accountability, or been negligently allocated. Hence, size alone cannot serve as an overriding factor in selection.

Big is not always bad. Some of the names that continue to work responsibly, both socially and financially, are Greenpeace, National Geographic, and the Nature Conservancy. These organizations accomplish what they set out to do, and each is competently managed. Smaller groups continue to enter the market, and with them, the need to have a background check from a competent firm like Wymoo International, Kroll or Cinnamond Global to ensure the organizations are legitimate and effective in their efforts. One of the smaller non-profits that works to make a difference is TheEarthReport.org. This group serves as a news and information source, although it also works to protect the rain forest. As always... it pays to do your homework!

Best of luck,

A. Hathaway