Check a charity before you give

1. Legal name and EIN

Our legal name is Global Build International Foundation Inc. The EIN is 47-4016484. A page that asks you to pay a different name, or that hides the number, is a reason to stop. "GBI Foundation" is a short name only.

2. IRS search

Open the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search and enter the EIN. You want to see 501(c)(3) status and whether contributions are deductible. Our record lists 2015 as the year formed. Do this again later. Status can change, and this article will not update itself overnight.

3. Filing type

Small charities often file Form 990-N, an e-Postcard, when gross receipts are normally $50,000 or less. That filing confirms the organization is still in the IRS file. It does not show a program-by-program budget. If a website quotes large reach numbers while the public filing is a 990-N, ask for the worksheet. We would rather show the filing type than invent a reach number. Details are on our impact page.

4. A real address and a mailbox a human reads

Our office mail goes to 2200 Wilson Blvd, Suite 102-42, Arlington, VA 22201. Email is info@gbifoundation.org. A contact form with no address and no working inbox is not enough. The contact page sends the form to that inbox and keeps you on the page.

5. What you receive for the gift

A charitable gift, in the ordinary case, buys nothing. If a charity offers a dinner, a ticket, or a product, it must describe that benefit. Our donate page says you receive no goods or services unless we agree otherwise in writing. Checks should be payable to the legal name, not to an individual.

None of these checks is legal advice. They are the questions we hope every donor asks us.