By prominently showing your EIN, you’ll help donors and help fight “charity” scammers.
In March 2012, the IRS added EINs to its online charity search feature.
EINs are the key to finding a particular charity
While charity names can be similar, no two charities have the same EIN. EIN checking is more precise than DNA testing.
Charity names are often similar
I entered “american cancer” as the organization name in the GuideStar.org advanced search box and got 104 results. I narrowed the name search to “american cancer society” and got 45 results. I entered “habitat for humanity” and got 2,092 results. Entered “veteran” and got 383 results; entered “veterans” and got 25,881!
Charity names can be used to mislead
Scam “charities” often adopt names confusingly similar to legitimate charities, siphoning off dollars needed for good works.
What’s an EIN?
Every charity has its own unique federal employer identification number (EIN), which it obtains by applying to the IRS. An EIN is typically a nine-digit number, shown like 12-3456789. A few charities have EINs with eight or fewer digits (normally shown with a leading zero like 01-2345678).
Why should a donor care?
- Because charity identities matter.
- Using an EIN is the quickest path to successful charity research.
- When you get a call asking for a donation, get the organization’s EIN and check the charity out.
- When you’ve connected with a charity whose work you want to support, by first checking its EIN you can be sure you’re sending your donation to the correct place.
How can a donor use an EIN in charity research?
Just enter the EIN (with or without the hyphen) at GuideStar.org, the National Center for Charitable Statistics, or even Google — you’ll quickly find available information about the charity. If the charity qualifies for the SGO database, you’ll find it right away through the SGO Find-a-Charity search engine.
Charity EINs are already public information
Charity EINs are a key part of the public disclosure system mandated by the Internal Revenue Code. They’re available on the IRS website for anyone to find. And they’re the pathway to finding charity information filed with the IRS and available through GuideStar.org and the National Center for Charitable Statistics. The system’s already in place, let’s use it!
Could showing charity EINs help “charity” scammers?
No, it will hurt them. If all charity fundraisers show their EINs, “charity” scammers will also have to show EINs. Potential donors will know to look for the EIN.
- If a scammer doesn’t show an EIN, it will be immediately suspect to potential donors.
- If a scammer uses its own EIN, potential donors can quickly check it out through GuideStar.org, the National Center for Charitable Statistics, Google or the SGO Find-a-Charity search engine.
- If a scammer uses the EIN of a legitimate charity, it will easily get caught and will have given law enforcement clear proof of fraud.
Charities: Please show your EINs
Please help your existing and potential donors. Help law enforcement fight “charity” scammers. Prominently show your EIN
- On every piece of mail you send seeking a donation or other funding.
- On every donation acknowledgement you send.
- On the “About Us” page of your website and in the footer of every page.
No foundation would give you a grant unless you provided your EIN first. Why should individual and family donors, who provide more than 80% of charity donations, have to waste time searching for charity EINs?
