How to find trustworthy foundations in Colombia to donate to

You have resources to donate and you want them to reach reliable hands. The fear of them ending up in the wrong place is why plenty of generous people end up donating nothing.

This article carries no list of recommended foundations. It is worth explaining why.

Why we do not publish a list

A list of “trustworthy foundations” is an endorsement. And an endorsement is only worth anything if whoever gives it did the verification, and keeps doing it.

We do not audit those organizations. Publishing their names under that heading would be asking you to trust our reputation instead of the evidence, which is the opposite of what this project argues for.

What we can give you is the method and the sources. With those you can verify any organization, including any that appears on somebody else’s list.

The five verification steps

1. Confirm it exists and is current

Look up its tax id and its registration as a non-profit. Colombia’s business and social registry (RUES) and the local chambers of commerce are public and free.

An organization that does not appear, or appears with a suspended registration, is ruled out there.

2. Look for its financial statements

On its own site or in the sector’s public databases. A serious foundation publishes them, or hands them over without resistance when you ask in writing.

3. Search for media mentions from the last five years

Not their own press releases: independent coverage. Five years with no external mention is itself a data point.

4. Look for accounts that do not come from the organization

From beneficiaries, volunteers, partners. The official version is the one that adds the least new information.

5. Start small

Make a small donation and watch how transparent the communication is afterwards. If they tell you what happened to it, there is a basis for a larger one. If you never hear anything again, you have your answer.

Two additional criteria that help

Time in operation. An organization with five or more years of stable operation has already demonstrated resilience. New ones can be perfectly legitimate and need support, but they demand more verification because there is no track record yet. Balance according to how much follow-up you can realistically do.

How resources are split. Ask what percentage goes to programmes and what to operations. As a sector reference, 15% to 25% on operating costs is normal depending on the type of programme.

A much higher share raises efficiency questions. A much lower one usually means they are not investing in the systems that hold the work up. Demanding zero operating costs is asking for an organization with no capacity to operate.

The case that makes the point

Someone was about to make a significant donation to a foundation recommended by an acquaintance. Before transferring, they spent two hours verifying.

The registration was suspended and the most recent published financial statements were three years old.

They redirected the donation to another organization that did pass. Two hours of work protected both the money and the intention behind it.

The rule that covers everything

Never donate without first verifying the organization behind the cause — especially when the cause is urgent and moving, which is exactly when verifying feels least appealing.

Keep reading

At Corag we do not endorse organizations: we verify the people responsible for specific deliveries, and publish the evidence for each one. It is a smaller claim, and sustainable for that reason.