I often get questions from consumers like "How do I know if a charity solicitor is legit?"

Let's do a Charitable Giving 101. Here are our tips:

• Look into their finances at our Check-a-Charity site. You can search or see the full alphabetical list. There are more than 800 charities in our database. We have encouraged every charity that's legally registered in Missouri to participate. So if they're not in there, they are either uninterested or unregistered. Either is a red flag.
• We agree that at least 65% of a charity's money should be spent on its programs, rather than overhead like fundraising, salaries, bills, rent, etc. Never make a decision during a telemarketing call - always ask for written information by mail.
• Never give your credit card or bank info to a telemarketer who has called you. He or she could be an ID thief.
• Don't be pressured or guilted into a decision. It's your money! Only give when you're comfortable.

A good solution to all this: Plan your donations annually. Figure out how much you'll give and to whom. This way you're not trying to respond on the spot to phone calls and mailings.