How to Choose a Charity in Guatemala: Questions to Ask Before You Give

How do I know if a charity in Guatemala is legitimate?

Before you give, look for clear answers to six questions. A serious organization will answer them without hesitation:

1. Who runs it? A name and a face, not just a logo.
2. What does it do, where, and for how many people? “Helping children” isn’t enough; a school, a town and a number are.
3. How does it show what it delivers? Dated photos, progress updates, published deliveries.
4. Who else talks about it? Press coverage or other independent sources.
5. What is its legal status, and what receipt can it give you?
6. Does it answer your questions before you donate?

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) gives the same advice for online fundraisers: find out who’s behind the request, because the organizer controls how the money is spent.

Are donations to Guatemala tax deductible in the US or Canada?

Usually not, unless you give through a qualified charity in your own country.

• United States. IRS Publication 526 lists foreign organizations, except certain Canadian, Israeli and Mexican charities, among those you can’t deduct, along with gifts to specific individuals. The FTC adds that if you want a deduction, you can give to an organization registered with the IRS as a charity and look it up in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search tool.
• Canada. Official donation receipts come from qualified donees, such as registered charities. A foreign charity only qualifies in narrow cases that the Canada Revenue Agency lists.

Start with a Smile Project is not a registered NGO and doesn’t issue tax-deductible receipts; its GoFundMe is a personal fundraiser. If a receipt is essential for you, look for a registered organization. If what matters most is knowing where your help goes, keep reading. Donors abroad will find more in how to donate from the US or abroad.

How do I check if a nonprofit is registered in Guatemala?

In Guatemala, NGOs, associations and foundations register with the Registro de las Personas Jurídicas (REPEJU), part of the Ministry of the Interior, which registers, authorizes and oversees not-for-profit legal entities. For NGOs, the REPEJU asks for a notarized founding document and oversees their constitution, changes and legal representatives.

In practice:

• Ask for the organization’s exact legal name and registration details; the name it uses in public can differ.
• Ask who its legal representative is.
• Guatemalan donors who want a deduction should also ask for a current tax compliance certificate (solvencia fiscal) from the SAT, which the tax law (Decree 10-2012, article 21) requires.

Not being registered doesn’t make an initiative untrustworthy. Some family and community efforts in Guatemala, like Start with a Smile Project, work without legal status. In those cases, trust is built on the other questions: who, what, where and what proof.

What are the red flags when donating to a charity abroad?

• Pressure. If you’re pushed to give “today,” take a day.
• Vague needs. No school, town or number of children.
• No one to talk to. No name, phone number or person who answers.
• No proof. No dated delivery photos, or only generic images.
• Children on display. Names, personal details or photos that don’t respect their dignity.
• No answers. The FTC recommends asking a fundraiser’s organizer lots of questions; if you get no answers, don’t give.

No single sign proves fraud, but two or three together are worth a pause.

How does Start with a Smile Project stay accountable without being a registered NGO?

By being clear about what it is and showing what it does:

• What it is. A not-for-profit community initiative, apolitical, non-religious and non-governmental, born at Christmas 2014. It is not a registered NGO and doesn’t issue tax-deductible receipts.
• Who runs it. Amalia Jarquín, a Spanish teacher who lives in Antigua, Guatemala, and was born in Las Delicias del Jobo, Taxisco. Her family, friends, volunteers, donors and partner projects work with her. Meet them on About us.
• Where and for whom. The 7 schools of Las Delicias del Jobo, with more than 700 girls and boys aged 6 to 16, plus the Christmas delivery on the road to Tecpán.
• What it has done. More than 4,000 notebooks, more than 100 desks, more than 120 pieces of school furniture, electricity, a kitchen, roofs, toilets and medical outreach days.
• How it shows it. Photos of each delivery on Facebook and Instagram, plus the site’s Photos page.
• Who else has covered it. The Guatemalan newspaper Prensa Libre on October 27, 2021, and Guatemala.com on December 19, 2022. Both are on our Press page.
• Who runs the fundraiser. A project volunteer in the United States organizes the GoFundMe, with Amalia as co-creator. In-kind donations are arranged by message, and Amalia and the volunteers deliver them.

To follow a donation step by step, read what happens to your donation.

What should I ask Start with a Smile Project before I give?

Anything you want. For example:

• What does each of the 7 schools need right now?
• How and when does my donation arrive?
• Where can I see the delivery?
• Can I bring my donations to Antigua?

For broader questions, see the donating in Guatemala FAQ or how to help children in Guatemala.

Message us on WhatsApp at +502 5562 3313, email amaliajarquin@gmail.com or use the contact form. When you’re ready, give on the project’s GoFundMe or message us to arrange an in-kind donation.