CharityWatch delves deep to find the real story of how efficiently charities use donations to fund the programs. Evaluates nonprofits based on 20 standards covering governance and oversight, effectiveness, finances, and fundraising and informational materials.ĬharityWatch – America’s most independent and assertive charity watchdog. (Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance) – helps donors make informed giving decisions and promotes high standards of conduct among organizations that solicit contributions from the public. Examines two broad areas of a charity’s performance – their financial health and their accountability and transparency.

GiveWell focuses on the few charities that stand out most in order to find and confidently recommend the best giving opportunities possible.ĬharityNavigator – uses unbiased, objective, numbers-based rating system to assess over 7,000 of America’s best-known and some lesser known, but worthy, charities. GiveWell – in-depth research aiming to determine how much good a given program accomplishes (in terms of lives saved, lives improved, etc.) per dollar spent. GuideStar – provides information about each nonprofit’s mission, legitimacy, impact, reputation, finances, programs, transparency, governance.

ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer – tax return data for nonprofits. Whether you’re interested in a small number of top-performing charities, or learning more about charities in certain categories, you can find reliable information on these online research and watchdog organizations’ websites: There are many highly rated charities to choose from, and fortunately, there are reputable online resources to help you narrow the field and select organizations that are making a positive impact on the causes you want to support.

A rule of thumb is that 60% or more of your contributions should directly support programs.

Does a good portion of the contributions received directly support service programs?.

Does the charity spend all of its revenue on fundraising, or.

One of the criteria most people are concerned about when choosing a charity is how efficient they are. As your mailbox fills up with solicitations from nonprofits – everyone from the Salvation Army to the World Wildlife Fund – how do you know which ones are worthy? And even more important, how can you tell which ones you should steer clear of? This is the time of year for giving and receiving.

Charity watchdog