Giving mg back through your small business - how to start/ set up

I figure you guys know everything about everything.  SWMBO owns her own business. She wants to start giving back to the community. Specifically, she would like to make her business charitable cause feeding needy kids. How do we do this the right way? How do you figure out who to work with?

I came for the free MGs but if I were you I'd start with the local Boys and Girls club. 

Dunno if it’s as big a deal in Florida as it is in the Midwest, but we’re setting up a scholarship program through the local extension/4H program here in Iowa.  If you’ve got something local, they might be able to help. 

Have a good understanding of how high the Charities operating expenses are. 

Said another way, if you give them $100 how much do they give to the "needy" and how much stays to "run the operation and pay people"? 

https://www.charitywatch.org/charitywatch-criteria-methodology

https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=48

Is this a functioning business donating to charity or a charitable organization? There is a differance... 

If the business IS a charitable organization you should follow the steps to become a 501(c)3 organization. That will allow you much more flexibility and the ability to accept donations. 

I donate to the local Food Bank on a regular basis. It's not strictly for kids but it does work to feed needy in the local community. 

I tend to look for smaller, local, church based charities.

In my neck of the woods, the food bank is the most effective place to put charitable donations for this purpose. This is because your donation to the food bank is used to arrange transportation of really large donations of food from large farms /food processing companies/etc. 

At a more local level, you could also inquire with your local school districts about paying off school lunch accounts with negative balances. 

Talk to a CPA and a Lawyer and a financial advisor.  Then actually listen to them.  (Most people don’t thinking they know better and then blame them when it goes wrong). 

Battered Womens shelter, lots of needs there.