GREENSBORO, NC -- All eyes are on the roof of the Friendly Center Chick-fil-A and there's a good reason why...there's a cop on top!
Deputy Josh Allen is on the roof raising awareness and money for the NC Special Olympics. Stop by the Chick-Fil-A Friday until 7pm or Saturday 8am-7pm to donate (and maybe be heckled too!).
There are 39,000 Special Olympic athletes who compete in North Carolina in 19 different sports. There are 463 competitions state wide. Last year, $1.2 million was raised by the Law Enforcement Torch Run which Cops On Top is part of.
Whether it's putting money in a bucket like with Cops on Top or giving online, you should always know how a charity is spending your money. An easy way to check out a charity is to use CharityNavigator.org.
The site scores each charity on several key points like tax status, length of operation, fundraising, administrative expenses for instance.
We'll use NC Special Olympics as an example. Their overall score is an 89 out of 100. Their accountability and transparency is at 97, meaning the charity is forthcoming with details on how they're structured and where money comes from and goes.
The real key to your giving is how the charity spends money. Charity Navigator breaks it down in an easy pie graph. For instance, 81% of Special Olympics money goes to programs and services. This is a really good percentage. The most efficient charities spend at least 75% on programs and services.