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Sources to find about a legitimacy of charity or evaluate their work
- www.charitynavigator.org
- www.charitywatch.org
- www.givewell.org
- www.guidestar.org
- www.bbb.org/us/charity
- www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0074-giving-charity
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Additional Tips:
- Real charities will always be happy to take your donation a couple days or even a couple weeks after they first make contact with you, so take time to do your research. High pressure appeals that claim a need is “urgent” are often times a warning sign of a scam.Take time to ask the following questions before you donate:
- What is the charity’s exact name? Scam artists often use names that sound familiar to reputable charitable organizations in order to solicit donations.
- Is the charity registered with the Secretary of State’s Office? If so, what is their registration number?
- Does the charity operate nationally? If so, what is the address of its national offices?
- Does it operate locally or have a local center? If so, what is the address of its local office?
- How much of my donation will go to charitable activities?
- How much of my donation will go to administrative expenses?
- Is the call being made by a professional solicitor? If so, what percent of the donation will they receive and are they registered with the Secretary of States Office? What is their registration number?
- What programs will my donation support? Will my donation benefit programs that are available locally?
- Is my donation tax deductible, i.e. can I deduct it from my own federal income tax return?
- Ask to be sent financial statements from the organization to determine who will benefit from your donation.
- If you are purchasing a product that supports a charitable organization, always ask what percentage of the amount you spend will actually support the charity. If it is a product you do not want or need, you might be able to better help the charity by donating directly.
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Charity Bike Ride Terms
- Registration Fee – This is the fee, the rider pays to register for the event. This is typically a non-tax-deductible, and a non-refundable fee which essentially allows the rider to initiate his/her participation in the event. Whether he or she can ride in the event will depend on the minimum fundraising requirement.
- Minimum Fundraising Requirement – This is the amount of fund the rider has to raise for the cause before he/she is allowed to ride in the event. The funds can be paid either by the rider or her/his supporter. These funds are paid directly to the cause and are typically tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
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Are bicycle riders compensated for their participation?
- No, in fact they have to pay to the organizing charity to be able to participate. Additionally the riders are also responsible for their own transportation to and from the ride location, lodging, etc.
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Is a portion of the funds raised given to the riders?
- No. The whole idea about these rides is to raise funds and awareness for the cause. All the funds, registration fees, etc goes to the sponsoring organization.
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Do I have to have a bicycle to participate in a charity bike ride or the organizers provide the bicycle?
- You need to have a bicycle to participate in a charity bike ride. Some events do provide rentals for a fee.
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What kind of bike do I need for a charity bike ride?
- Depending on the event, and the venue, just about any type of bike can be used. If there is a need for specific bike types, the ride organizer would make the appropriate recommendations.
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Do I have to raise money to be able to ride in the charity bike ride?
- Depending on the event, and whether there is a minimum fundraising requirement. If so, the minimum fund has to be raised before one is allowed to ride in the event. Please remember that the idea behind these rides is to raise awareness and funds for the given cause.
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Do I need to register for the event or raising fund is sufficient to ride in the charity bike ride?
- You have to register first to get the proper link, etc to initiate your fundraising process.
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Is riding in the charity bike ride the only way I can participate and help with the associated cause?
- No. In fact there are many ways to help with a given cause:
- VOLUNTEER – Volunteers are needed for a variety of jobs before, during and after the ride day. These can be for diverse tasks like photographing, ride support, drivers, rest stop support, etc. Check the web site for a given ride and you will find that there is always need for volunteers.
- DONATE – You can simply donate to the given cause independent of the bike ride event.
- SPONSOR – Sponsor a rider. Without sponsors hardly any of these events would be possible.
- ADVOCATE/INFORM – Promote the event, inform others to volunteer, participate or sponsor a rider.
- No. In fact there are many ways to help with a given cause:
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How can I find about charity bike ride events?
- Using search engines is one of the easiest ways to find out about most rides
- Your local bicycle shops usually have flyers for many local charity rides
- There are few web sites that do an admirable job to keep an up to date schedule of these events. Here are a few of them:
Please use the contact page to send in you additional questions.