Be sure your flood relief dollars go to validated nonprofits like The Fuller Center

Every time there is a natural disaster — here in the United States or elsewhere — generous Americans rise to the occasion to help through volunteering and/or donating toward nonprofits who are dedicated to helping families recover.

Unfortunately, every time, there are a handful of scam artists and other unscrupulous people who pounce on the opportunity to take advantage of that good will to enrich themselves.

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp has issued a statement warning people to get to know charities and nonprofits before giving to them, especially if they call you to solicit your donations by phone.

“There are several helpful resources that will help you verify the existence of a charity and make sure your contribution will reach Louisiana’s flood victims in a meaningful way.” — Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp

“When a catastrophe of this nature occurs, con artists seize the opportunity to prey on donors by holding themselves out as legitimate charitable organizations,” Secretary Kemp stated in the release. “Do not be fooled by these scams. There are several helpful resources that will help you verify the existence of a charity and make sure your contribution will reach Louisiana’s flood victims in a meaningful way.”

Among them are GuideStar, which evaluates nonprofits’ transparency and the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, which evaluates numerous standards.of accountability. The Fuller Center has received the Gold Level for transparency from GuideStar (click here to see the GuideStar report) and meets all 20 standards from the BBB’s Wise Giving Alliance (click here for the BBB report on The Fuller Center).

We encourage you to examine nonprofits closely before you give — and we invite you to take a closer look at The Fuller Center for Housing, which has two covenant partners in flooded areas of Louisiana already busy helping residents pick up the pieces from this month’s disaster.

Fuller Center 8-page case statement & annual report

Click to support The Fuller Center’s flood recovery efforts