Give Smart: How to Spot Charity Fraud This Holiday Season
Give Smart: How to Spot Charity Fraud This Holiday Season
The holiday season is a time for giving, but it’s also a time when scammers may take advantage of people’s generosity.
Join us to learn how to recognize common charity scams, identify red flags, and verify that a charitable organization is legitimate before donating. Our panelists will discuss safe ways to make donations, what information to look for when researching a charity, and how to protect your personal and financial information.
Walk away with practical tips to help ensure your generosity makes a difference while keeping your donation—and yourself—safe.
The webinar is moderated by Award-winning Journalist Donna Lowry. Speakers for this free webinar include Karen Beavor, President and CEO of the Georgia Center for Nonprofits; Shawn Conroy, Communications and Outreach Coordinator, Office of the Attorney General Chris Carr, Consumer Protection Division; and Nicholas M. May, Regional Director, Southeast Region, Federal Trade Commission.
Panelists
Moderator
Donna Lowry is an award-winning journalist who combines a passion for storytelling and a desire to empower others with communication and critical thinking skills surrounding political, educational, and financial issues.
Through her firm, Donna Lowry Communications, she provides consulting, writing, and producing services for educational, media, professional, and business outlets.
Donna serves as host/producer for several programs, including Lawmakers on Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Donna is an eight-time Emmy award winner, a three-time national Gabriel Award recipient, and has garnered honors from countless organizations, including the National Association of Black Journalists, Atlanta Association of Black Journalists, Georgia Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists, Georgia Association of Educators (GAE), and the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE).
Her media peers inducted Donna into the prestigious NATAS Southeast Silver Circle to recognize her lasting contributions to the broadcast industry.
Donna has a master's in Journalism from Northwestern University and a Bachelor's in Mass Communications and Administration and Management from Chatham University.
Her professional affiliations include the Atlanta Press Club, the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Black Journalists, and the Southeastern Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS SE).
In her 15th year as a Girl Scout Leader, Donna has led girls ranging in age from kindergarten through 12th grade. Her community service affiliations also include Magnolia (GA) Chapter of Links, Inc., and Nu Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Donna and her husband, Army Major (Ret) Bennet W. Reid, Jr., are the parents of three daughters.
President and CEO, Georgia Center for Nonprofits
As President and CEO of the Georgia Center for Nonprofits, Karen Beavor oversees a professional association representing Georgia’s nonprofit industry, with capacity building programs that serve more than 5,000 organizations per year, as well as a national social enterprise, Work for Good, and the GAgives on GivingTuesday campaign, which has raised nearly $200 million for Georgia nonprofits since its inception in 2012. Prior to her work at GCN, Karen was the executive director of a nonprofit law firm serving people confronted with poverty.
Karen is a six-time member of Georgia Trend’s yearly “Georgia’s 100 Most Influential Leaders” list, and one of their 2020 Legacy Leaders. She has also been recognized as one of the Atlanta Business Chronicle 50 Influential Nonprofit Leaders, Georgia Trend’s 40 under 40, and Southeastern Association Magazine’s Association Leader of the Year. Karen has received the Martin Luther King Leadership Award for Peace and Justice and the Harvard Business School Club of Atlanta’s Community Leader Award. She is a member of the 2000 class of Leadership Atlanta.
Among many other board and advisory board roles with a variety of civic and nonprofit organizations, Karen is a past Chair and active Trustee at Unemployment Services Trust. She is a graduate of Agnes Scott College and has completed multiple executive education certificates from Harvard and Stanford Universities.
Communications and Outreach Coordinator, Office of the Attorney General Chris Carr, Consumer Protection Division
Shawn Conroy has been serving the public at the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, formerly the Governor’s Office of Consumer Protection, for over 25 years. Currently, he acts as Communications and Outreach Coordinator and is involved in the enforcement of numerous civil statutes. Shawn provides educational presentations to consumers, is a media spokesperson for the Division, tracks legislation impacting consumers at the General Assembly and serves as a resource for its members. He holds an undergraduate degree from Kennesaw State University.
Regional Director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Southeast Region
Nick May is the Regional Director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Southeast Region. Nick supervises investigations and enforcement actions related to unfair and deceptive business practices in the marketplace. Before joining the FTC, Nick worked as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and an associate at King & Spalding. He is a graduate of Pomona College and Vanderbilt Law School.