How to find out how far your donations go

You usually find generosity everywhere during the holiday season, but depending on the charity, sometimes a larger percentage of your donation goes to those in need. For The Well In the Desert, 90% of donations go toward helping feed the homeless.

For The Salvation Army, “Eighty two cents of every dollar someone puts into our kettle or sends a check goes directly the the programs here in the valley. All the money donated in the valley stays in the valley,” Sean Kelsey of The Salvation Army said.

The Salvation Army has services such as holiday dinners and after school programs.

That percentage organizations keep goes toward administrative costs.

“Maintenance, keeping our vehicles full of gas, for transportation for our clients from certain pickup locations for lunch, and our food distribution to our homeless people,” William Ellen from The Well In the Desert said.

If you want to know how a non profit allocates its money, you can always go to guidestar.com. Just type in the non profit you want to know about, and you can see all the tax information you want.

If you want to ensure your money goes toward a specific program or cause, make sure you tell the non-profit when you give them money.

Here are some more local charities needing donations this holiday season:

Big Brothers Big Sisters

Martha’s Village and Kitchen

Coachella Valley Rescue Mission

Sword of the Lord

Companions Visitation Ministry of Sacred Heart Church

Galilee Center