It’s the ninth day of my 12 Days of Charitable Giving for 2017. Readers have suggested deserving charities over the past few weeks, and I’ll be posting one a day for – well, 12 days (I’m clever that way). Today’s charity is the Institute for Veterans and Military Families.
Doesn’t ring a bell? The reader who made the nomination calls it the “best military charity no one has heard about.” The IVMF is higher education’s first interdisciplinary academic institute, singularly focused on advancing the lives of the nation’s military veterans and their families.
The IVMF launched its first program in 2007. The program was the result of Syracuse University’s institutional commitment to serve veterans and the military community, and a partnership with JPMorgan Chase & Co. Today, the IVMF delivers programs in career, vocational, entrepreneurship education, and training, providing service members, veterans, and their families with the skills needed to be successful in education, work, and life. The goal, according to the organization, is to help veterans get where they want to be after leaving the military life. IVMF offers programs that support post-military careers by complementing military skill sets and training.
Here’s more about Syracuse’s commitment to vets:
Last year, more than 23,000 transitioning service members, veterans, and military family members participated in IVMF programs. In 2007, the year that IVMF launched its first program, that number was just 17.
So how can you help?
To make a one-time or recurring donation by credit card, head over to the organization’s donor page on its website. Note that this page takes you to Syracuse University’s donor page. You should see IVMF already populated in the Selected Designations box – but if you don’t, click on the edit tab to make your selection. Most charitable organizations from Red Cross to United Way – and yes, Syracuse University – funnel undesignated funds for general use. To make sure that donations go where you want them to go, if you have a specific designation in mind – as here – make sure to clearly mark your donation as such. Here, it’s easy: just make sure the IVMF, or Institute for Veterans & Military Families, box is checked.
You can also donate through the Newman’s Own Foundation $500,000 Holiday Challenge. The organization that raises the most online during the Challenge, which runs through Wednesday, January 3rd, 2018 at 1:59:59pm ET, wins $150,000. IVMF’s Crowdrise page is here. According to its website, Crowdrise provides a receipt via email for every charitable donation made through its site to qualifying US charities.
As always, you want to make sure that your donation is going to a qualified charitable organization. A search using the IRS’ Exempt Organizations Select Check doesn’t show IVMF as a separate charity. That’s because, in this case, the fund is under the umbrella of Syracuse University (which is clearly noted on their donor page). A search confirms that Syracuse University is on the list.
To find out more about the work of the organization, check out their website, like them on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter and Instagram.
I often suggest checking out third-party sites like Charity Navigator for more information about charitable organizations, including evaluations and access to tax forms and other financials. Syracuse University is not ranked since, as Charity Navigator explains, “we no longer rate primarily tuition-based institutions, such as universities, colleges or private elementary and secondary schools. At Charity Navigator we evaluate organizations that largely rely on support from individual donors. Most schools receive a majority of their revenue from fees for the programs they provide. As such, they do not meet our criteria to be evaluated.”
Remember: submissions to the 12 Days of Charitable Giving are made by readers, and in most cases, I can’t personally vouch for the good work that these folks do. So be generous but be smart: Do your homework.
For more on making charitable donations, check out this prior post.
