How to Verify a Charity Before You Donate (2026 Guide)

Generosity deserves protection. Every year donors lose money to sham fundraisers that imitate real causes — and every dollar captured by a fake "charity" is a dollar taken from people who actually need it. The good news: verifying a legitimate U.S. charity takes about ten minutes and relies entirely on free, public tools. This guide walks through the exact steps.

Step 1: Confirm 501(c)(3) status with the IRS

Every legitimate U.S. public charity is registered with the Internal Revenue Service. Use the free IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search (TEOS) at irs.gov to confirm three things:

• The organization appears in the database under its exact legal name.
• It is currently eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions (Publication 78 data).
• Its exemption has not been automatically revoked for failing to file annual returns.

You will need either the charity's legal name or its EIN (Employer Identification Number, formatted XX-XXXXXXX). Reputable organizations publish their EIN on their website — usually in the footer, an About page or a transparency page. If a charity refuses to share its EIN when asked, treat that as a warning sign.

Step 2: Check the state registration

U.S. charities are incorporated in a specific state, and most states let you search corporate records for free. The record confirms the legal name, filing date, entity status (active or delinquent) and registered address. Many states also require separate charitable solicitation registration before an organization may fundraise from their residents — the National Association of State Charity Officials (NASCO) maintains a directory of each state's regulator.

Step 3: Read the website like an auditor

A trustworthy charity's website answers four questions without making you dig:

• Who are you? Legal name, nonprofit status, EIN or state filing ID, physical address and working contact details.
• What do you do? A clear mission and a concrete description of current programs — not just emotional imagery.
• Where does the money go? An honest explanation of how donations are used, including overhead. Be cautious with organizations that promise every cent reaches the field without explaining who pays their real operating costs.
• What has been delivered? Program reporting that matches the organization's age and size. A new charity honestly saying "our field programs are still in development" is a better sign than a new charity claiming implausible instant results.

Step 4: Look at the Form 990

Most 501(c)(3) organizations must file an annual information return (Form 990, 990-EZ or 990-N) with the IRS, and these are public. You can read them free on the IRS website or through Candid (GuideStar) and ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer. Newly formed charities may not have a 990 on file yet — their first return is due after their first fiscal year closes, so for young organizations rely on Steps 1–3 instead.

Step 5: Donate through safe payment channels

• Give on an HTTPS page through a recognized processor (Stripe, PayPal, Every.org and similar).
• Expect an automatic receipt stating the organization's name and the required "no goods or services" language for tax-deductible gifts.
• Never donate by wire transfer, gift card or cryptocurrency sent to a personal wallet address — legitimate charities do not ask for those.

Common red flags

• Pressure to give right now, especially after disasters.
• A name confusingly similar to a famous charity.
• No physical address, no EIN, no named legal entity.
• Guarantees that sound too clean — zero-overhead promises with no audited explanation.
• Photos and stories that cannot be tied to any verifiable program.

How we apply this standard to ourselves

Bakara 195 Corporation publishes its Wyoming filing ID with a direct link to the state's filing search, states its IRS 501(c)(3) recognition and classification, and reports its program status honestly — including the fact that our humanitarian programs are still in structured development and that restricted donations stay closed until partner, budget and reporting controls are complete. We encourage you to hold us — and every charity you support — to exactly the checklist above. See our documents and current status →