BY STEVE DINNEN
People in the charitable giving world have observed that stumbling blocks often arise as donors confront two issues: whom to give money to, and how much to give them.
There are ways to address this. United Way of Central Iowa, www.unitedwaydm.org, is one place to start. “We bring together donors, volunteers, businesses, nonprofits, faith-based, community leaders, government, experts, and those in need,” it says on its website. United Way funds dozens of nonprofit groups in the Greater Des Moines area using dollars collected from donors. It doesn’t just dole out money but reviews those groups to see that they’ll use any funding in a worthwhile manner.
The Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines also helps out at GIVEdsm, desmoinesfoundation.org/your-giving/givedsm. There, you can scroll through a listing of about 100 charitable groups that desire your dollars. If you want to support racehorses that have been put out to pasture, for instance, there’s HART—Hope After Racing Thoroughbreads. There also is Drake University, the Science Center of Iowa, and the DMACC Automotive Tech Center that trains future mechanics. Some of these organizations will have specific needs, while others request general funding to carry out their works.
