South Carolinians encouraged to ‘give from the heart, but give smart’ this holiday season

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – The season of giving is now upon us, and many South Carolinians will be opening their wallets and checkbooks over the next month to support causes they care about.

Each year, Americans collectively donate hundreds of billions of dollars to charity, with much of that giving during the holiday season, according to the National Philanthropic Trust.

But South Carolina Secretary of State Mark Hammond wants donors to be wary of charities that might take advantage of that kindness.

“There’s a lot of organizations out there that sometimes give less than 10% toward their charitable purpose, and we know that our charitable donors want the best bang for their buck, and they want to make sure that their donations are actually going to those missions and to serve those purposes,” Hammond said.

Hammond recommends anyone in the giving spirit do their research before they open their wallets.

People can look up organizations through the Secretary of State’s public database to find out how much of their expenses were allocated to program services in their most recent year’s filings. They can also call the Charities Division at 1-888-CHARITI or email the division to learn more about an organization before they give.

This information is also available through the free “Give Smart SC” app.

“It will tell you how much they’ve raised, how much goes to their charitable programs. It will give you all the information that you need to make a wise giving choice,” Hammond said.

If you have concerns about a charitable organization, you can file an online, confidential complaint with the Secretary of State’s Office.

And the secretary of state has one final piece of advice for South Carolinians in the giving spirit.

“Give from the heart, but please give smart,” Hammond said.

Each year, the Secretary of State’s Office recognizes 10 charities as “angels” that follow state law and spend at least 80% of their revenue on charitable work.

The following organizations were honored this year:

• AccessHealth Horry, Inc., Conway, SC – 96.1% of expenditures went toward program services last year
• Bluffton Community Soup Kitchen, Bluffton, SC – 82.6%
• Ezekiel Ministries, Inc., Columbia, SC – 85.4%
• Family Promise of York County, Inc., Rock Hill, SC – 88.4%
• Greater Florence Habitat for Humanity, Inc., Florence, SC – 85.0%
• Rabbit Sanctuary, Inc., Simpsonville, SC – 93.6%
• Ride To Work Ministry Nonprofit, Inc., Seneca, SC – 91.4%
• Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Inc., Pocatello, ID – 95.1%
• The Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic, Inc., Johns Island, SC – 82.9%
• United Way of Pickens County, Easley, SC – 85.7%

Feel more informed, prepared, and connected with WIS. For more free content like this, subscribe to our email newsletter, and download our apps. Have feedback that can help us improve? Click here.

Copyright 2025 WIS. All rights reserved.