How to avoid rip offs when giving during the holiday season

Rancho Cucamonga, CA -- (SBWire) -- 07/14/2017 --Crowdfunding for charities will reach a new high in the holiday season of 2017. There are more websites, including Facebook, that will allow charities to use their platforms to raise money. The biggest concern to the public is fraud. How do we tell a real charity from a fake one? How do we know the money is going to the charity listed?

Dr. Letitia Wright, America's Crowdfunding Strategist, has a few tips for those who want to give to their favorite charity through a crowdfunding effort. "First you can always call the charity and ask them if this is their fundraising effort. By checking with the charity and letting them know you intend to give but want to be sure they will get it, you will get verification quickly. No non-profit organization can afford to let a donor go unattended." Says Dr. Wright. "Once you have verified that it is them, you can give online or offline. Giving to a crowdfunding effort can be done both ways."

"Be sure the system used to accept payments is one you are familiar with." warns, Dr. Wright. "Everyone knows about Amazon pay, PayPal, Square Up and Cashme, but if it's something you have never heard of, you will want to be cautious and protect your credit card number." Many of the crowdfunding sites had not done a good job in the past when it comes to verifying a crowdfunding project. The contracts say that the legal responsibility is between you and whoever you give the money to. When there are problems, the crowdfunding website is frequently unwilling to step in. In recent months, GoFundMe has been a bit more strict in vetting projects before allowing them to run on their site. Facebook uses Network for good to help vet and release funds to the projects. "Non-profits can raise money, and regular people can raise money for things like pet medical emergencies, personal financial emergencies, and school bills," says Dr. Letitia Wright. "They make it easy to contact friends and family who would be most likely to help."

Dr. Wright has a no-cost download called Crowdfunding Made Easy that can help anyone who wants to crowdfund, get started. You can find it at www.getcrowdfundednow.com.