{"id":62285,"date":"2019-09-06T12:15:12","date_gmt":"2019-09-06T12:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/09\/06\/military-folks-here-are-some-expert-tips-on-picking-the-right-charity-for-your-donations\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T13:34:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T13:34:50","slug":"military-folks-here-are-some-expert-tips-on-picking-the-right-charity-for-your-donations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/pay-benefits\/2019\/09\/06\/military-folks-here-are-some-expert-tips-on-picking-the-right-charity-for-your-donations\/","title":{"rendered":"Military folks, here are some expert tips on picking the right charity for your donations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As we move into the pledging season for the Combined Federal Campaign, how do you decide where to donate your hard-earned dollars?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pledging season for the Combined Federal Campaign<\/a> starts Sept. 9 and runs through Jan. 12. Different geographic areas hold their individual campaigns during specific times during that four-month window. Last year federal employees participating in the CFC contributed more than $93 million to thousands of charities<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Office of Personnel Management, which oversees the CFC, has a process for vetting the thousands of charities before they can be included. Many donors go beyond, to do their own research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donors are becoming more savvy about where they donate their money, realizing that there are far too many scams<\/a> out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To provide a different perspective, we checked in with a well-known company that has a large philanthropic effort devoted to the military community, to see how they make their decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

USAA invests about 1 percent of its pre-tax income, generally about $45 million a year, to charitable causes, said Harriet Dominique, senior vice president of corporate responsibility and community affairs at USAA. And individuals and corporations ask her on a regular basis about how USAA makes those decisions, Dominique said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some of her tips that apply, whether you have $10 or $10,000 to donate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Make sure you\u2019re donating to a cause that you\u2019re passionate about, and to a nonprofit that aligns with your core values. USAA\u2019s signature cause and focus is military family resilience,” Dominique said, so they invest in a variety of efforts including many related to military spouse employment, and providing resources for caregivers of service members injured on active duty.<\/p>\n\n\n\t