- 1). Check the group's status with the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS keeps a list of approved charities, and only donations made to charity groups on the list are tax deductible. The IRS vets groups before adding them as an approved charity, so while placement on the list is not a guarantee that the group is on the up and up, it does mean that they have been put through the paces by the IRS and earned their charitable group designation. IRS Publication 78 is the list of the approved charitable groups. It is updated on a regular basis and can be viewed on the IRS website.
- 2). Use the Internet. Many websites, such as Guidestar and Noza, let you search databases of charity group tax returns. On these sites, you will find copies of the actual Form 990 tax returns of the organizations, so you can get complete details of the income and expenditures of the group. Schedule A (in Resources) will give you the details of the five highest-paid employees and contractors and the final line will show the profit or loss made by the organization
- 3). Contact the charity. Many charity groups are willing to give their donors access to tax records.
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