If you have been following the news lately, you might be overwhelmed by all the tragic events unfolding. Perhaps you are wondering how you can help from your little corner of the world to ease the suffering somewhere. For me, it was the floods in Texas that sent me on a quest to find a way – small but some way – to contribute. This is what I found.

First of all, I recognize the need to be discerning in this matter. Low-lifes currently abound and their opportunistic mission is to take advantage of anyone without being hindered by any shred of common decency. For example, recently, my dad became a stat as one of the over 100,00 elderly scammed this year. Now, he realized the situation as soon as he hung up the phone and was able to take some precautions. It was a pain and time consuming and there is no way to fully retract all the damage that might still be lurking out there. He feels embarrassed even though he has been reassured that this can and does happen. There is some form of lower life level out there that is always staying one step ahead to con and steal with no remorse.

Along those same lines and at the same bottom-feeder level are those that are currently preying on the bleeding hearts of do-gooders wanting to help out after a disaster. The devastating and heartbreaking July 2025 Texas floods are seen as merely opportunities for the depraved. They feed on the good intentions of good people.

While I am no expert, I too have had a desire to do something but didn’t know where to start. I wanted to make sure my donations end up where intended, not with some low-life scum. Here are some tips and places I discovered on my journey and hopefully it will help anyone looking for a place to start with an idea or two.

1. The most helpful tidbit I learned during my research is legitimate agencies are currently a bit too busy to solicit donations immediately after the event. Be extremely wary of any emails, texts, or even calls you receive providing direct links especially a short time after a disaster. Do not be pressured to donate immediately. If it is a call, tell them you will think about it then hang up and do the research. DO NOT CLICK ON ANY LINKS PROVIDED. Instead, do look it up independently aside from the received communication.
2. What to research? If it is a US based charity look for their 501(c)(3) status and look for reviews. Unfortunately, anyone can have a cool looking website that may lend a scam the appearance of credibility. Slow down, look things up. Do some research.
3. Where to start? Check out charitynavigator.org. The concept is the site gives a listing of charities you can donate to organized by topic. Its premise is it vets the more legitimate options and rates them with 3 or 4 stars. Or perhaps you have found a site more convenient for you. Keep in mind, nothing is free. It will ask you what percentage you want to donate as a service fee. Similar to a tip. You can choose to have it come out of your donation or in addition to it. For example, you decide to donate $20 with a 10% service fee. You can decide to take it out of the 20 making your donation actually $18 or in addition to it which brings your total to $22. There is also a processing fee so for a $20 donation you could end up paying closer to $25.

In short, while there are lots of no-good thugs out there, there are still plenty of good people and ways to be helpful. Just remember, if a charity suddenly becomes more like a high-pressured sales call, back off. Taking time to research where your hard earned money is going is not only valid but smart. Find a way to contribute that works best for you.

Let’s show up and let the world know human decency will outshine human depravity every time.