With the holiday season now upon us, many people are thinking about making donations to one or more charities. And of course, many of us have been, or will be, getting solicitations from commercial fundraising organizations to give money to various causes.

If you’re thinking about opening your wallet in the name of charity, make sure to give wisely.

That was the main message that Secretary Reed and Attorney General Rob McKenna had for everyone as they held a news conference Friday morning at the AARP Washington office in Seattle. They also discussed the brand-new 2010 Commercial Fundraiser Activity Report, released by our Charities Division. The report shows which commercial fundraisers pass along a large percentage of the money raised to the intended charities, and which ones forward a small percentage. You can see either the full report or an overview of it.

Following the news conference, Reed and McKenna joined volunteers in a calling blitz in which they offered tips on how to be careful when giving and not be a scam victim. The two state officials then joined AARP State Director Doug Shadel in a telephone Town Hall (shown above) in which they answered listeners‘ questions and offered suggestions on how to give wisely and not get burned. The phone-in event attracted nearly 11,000 callers.