Tips for Physicians on How and Where to Make Charitable Donations

by Mary Beth Nierengarten •

In terms of giving by specialties, the survey found that pediatric (nonsurgical) physicians and surgical and anesthesiology specialists were more apt to donate their time to short-term medical missions abroad. Adult (nonsurgical) physicians were more likely to provide services in free and sliding scale clinics.

“According to the World Giving Index, the people of the U.S. are repeatedly shown to be the most generous among the world’s nations, and U.S. physicians do their part … through unpaid teaching, [providing] free services domestically and abroad, and waiving fees for those in their practices who cannot pay,” he said.

Mary Beth Nierengarten is a freelance medical writer based in Minnesota.

Researching Charities

Several websites offer detailed information to help you conduct your due diligence when selecting a charity.

  • BBB Wise Giving Alliance (give.org): Helps donors make informed decisions on giving by providing reports about national charities, as well as by assisting individual donors with evaluating charities that solicit their support.
  • Charity Navigator (charitynavigator.org): Rates charities based on their financial health and their accountability/transparency. More than 9,000 charities are rated.
  • Charity Watch (charitywatch.org): Rates charities based on in-depth assessments that include audited financial statements, tax forms, annual reports, state filings, and other documents. Provides a changing list of top-rated charities.
  • GuideStar (guidestar.org): Helps donors make decisions about giving to nonprofits by creating a GuideStar Nonprofit Profile of each nonprofit based on data aggregated from public sources, other philanthropy organizations, and the nonprofit itself.

Ways to Donate

Cash

Give to charity by check or credit card. The contribution is tax deductible.

Appreciated shares of stock or mutual funds The advantage of donating to these types of funds is that neither you nor the charity has to pay long-term capital gain taxes. The contribution is also tax deductible.

Donor-advised funds or private foundations These types of funds provide a way to give over time. When you set up the fund, you get a tax deduction in the first year, and the donated monies are then distributed to different charities over time.