I get many questions about life at the racetrack, what happens to the horses after the track, and everything in between. So I thought I’d start a little Q&A on the blog to help clarify what I can.
Question: How do I choose an animal organization to support? How can I tell if a nonprofit is being run ethically, and fits with my charitable giving philosophy?
Answer: Ask yourself the following 3 questions:
1. Is the organization a 501(C)(3)? This designation means your donations are tax deductible as allowed by law, and the organization’s tax returns are viewable at <http://www2.guidestar.org/> The nonprofit’s tax form 990 will show how much money was raised, and how it was spent. It takes 6-12 months to get the IRS designation, and every nonprofit should have one.
2. Have you seen mission accomplished photos–not just heart wrenching photos of sadness and abuse? A well run nonprofit will have success stories.
You should see photos of animals who have been adopted into permanent homes–not just foster homes. Placing animals into temporary foster homes is not a success story.
3. Can visitors make an appointment to meet the animals in person? A well run organization is always happy to have visitors, and media attention.
To sum up, a well run nonprofit will not be top heavy with most of the donations going to pay management. They will be transparent through their IRS 990. They will have verifiable success stories of their mission being accomplished.
And they will welcome visitors and media to their facilities!
