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Boston's Morning Newsletter
5 tips to avoid scams and 'make the most impact' this Giving Tuesday
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
Today is Giving Tuesday, a national day to support organizations doing vital work in our communities. I hope you’ll consider making your #GivingTuesday contribution to WBUR. Your gift will support the free, independent journalism you get from us and make sure it’s available for our entire community. So, please donate. The money will go especially far today. (Every gift today will be matched by 50%, so $100 turns into $150 for the news.)
Let’s get to it:
The do’s and don’ts of donating: No matter who you give your dollars to today, it’s also important to do a little due diligence to make sure your money is going where you intended. Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office released guidance this week — along with a two-page list of dos and don’ts — to help Bay Staters “make well-informed decisions when donating and are able to make the most impact with their donations.” Here are the five main things to know:
- “Know your charity”: That means verifying the charity’s name, address and other contact information before donating — especially if they are the ones reaching out to you. (Here’s our info, FYI.)
- “Find out where your money will go”: Campbell’s office warns that residents should be wary about statements such as “all proceeds go to charity,” since that might not count fees and administrative expenses. However, you can look up each charity’s financial statements on this public database if you want to really dig into how they’re spending their money.
- “Keep records”: Keep your donation receipts (and any canceled checks) in one place. Campbell’s office says doing so will be helpful, whether you deduct your donations on your tax returns or in case you have a complaint.
- “Don’t feel pressured”: You don’t have to give today. Campbell’s office says legitimate charities will take the time to tell you how they’re using your money.
- “Don’t pay by cash or debit card“: Instead, use credit card or check, especially if donating online. That way, Campbell’s office says, you have the ability to stop a payment if you’re duped. (Additionally, using a debit card could give scammers the ability to access and withdraw even more money from your account.)
- Listen: Personal finance expert Jill Schlesinger shared some pro-tips to make the most of your giving on Here and Now.
Ya basic (income): Don’t hold your breath for a guaranteed basic income program in Boston. While neighboring cities like Chelsea and Cambridge have experimented with targeted basic income programs, there were more questions than answers during a Boston City Council hearing yesterday on the city launching its own pilot. City officials signaled they still need to decide how many people would get money, how much the payments would be, how the potentially pricey endeavor would be funded and whether such a program is even worth pursuing.
- Go big or go home? Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has expressed some interest in a basic income program, but doesn’t want it to be “one more small experiment,” as the CommonWealth Beacon recently reported. While Boston has an estimated 121,000 people living below the poverty line, guaranteed income programs in neighboring cities have focused on smaller groups (from 2,213 households in Chelsea to 52 in Worcester). “We do not debate at all the merits of a guaranteed income program — full stop on that,” Segun Idowu, Wu’s chief of economic opportunity and inclusion, said yesterday. However, Idowu cautioned against a pilot that cuts off after a year or two. “We would need to make sure that we have the dollars available to make that program successful and sustainable,” he said, adding they’d look to lean on both public and private funding.
Hostage deal hits home: A Needham man says two of his young cousins were among 11 hostages released by Hamas yesterday. Jason Greenberg said 16-year old Sahar and 12-year-old Erez Kalderon are back in Israel with their mother and sister. However, their father, Ofer Kalderon, is still being held captive.
- Two of Greenberg’s relatives were already killed near the Gaza border during the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas.
- What’s next: Today is the first day of a 48-hour cease-fire extension in Gaza, as the two sides exchange more captives. Israel is reportedly slated to release 50 more Palestinian prisoners today in return for 10 hostages held by Hamas.
P.S.— As king tides submerge the edges of Boston’s waterfront, Gov. Maura Healey is planning to announce a “new strategy” this morning to prepare Massachusetts’ coastline for the effects of climate change. You can stream it live at 9 a.m. here. The king tides will peak again shortly thereafter today around 11:24 a.m. Here’s a look at how high the flooding got yesterday at Boston’s Long Wharf.
