• How is its programs or services run? Find out what your money is supporting by taking a tour of the agency or attending agency meetings, training sessions or medical venues where the non-profit services or technology exist. This allows you to see first hand all the great work the non-profit agency is doing, or lack thereof. Ask questions while there – does the service provide an actual benefit? Has it made life better or easier for the non-profit recipients? Or, where is the non-profit falling short? The answer to these questions can ease your peace of mind, and maybe prompt you to find other ways to support the non-profit. Or, it can help you decide that your money isn’t supporting what you thought it was, and you may want to reconsider your donation.

• Is the non-profit utilizing a volunteer base? Most non-profits are volunteer-led organizations – but are they using their volunteers effectively? Check and see what volunteer opportunities they have and if they are using their volunteers wisely. If the non-profit is only using volunteers for fundraising opportunities, then maybe the organization is missing the mark. Volunteers should be used for the programs and services that the non-profit offers too; otherwise, your money is being spent on salaries and not on the mission.

After you have answered those questions, don’t write your check just yet. Do a quick background search on the non-profit organization in order to find out a few more things:

• Is the charity easy to work with?

• Has the charity experienced embezzlement or other mismanagement issues?

• How does your community feel about the charity?

• Is the charity just in a numbers game; or do they really care about its mission?

Once you have answered the above questions, you will definitely have a new perspective on each non-profit organization you help fund. You wouldn’t just purchase a home or a car without inspecting it, so why would you just throw your money away without knowing where it goes? Education is the key to making any wise investment, especially when concerning the non-profit sector.