How to Choose a Charity

By SJW

December 28, 2006   •   Fact checked by Dumb Little Man

This is the time of year that thousands of people contribute to a charity. For some it’s because it has a cleansing effect on their soul, for others it’s simply a way to reduce taxable income.

To be honest, I don’t care why you contribute. The simple fact that you do it is sufficient for me. What I do care about is that our contribution is spent wisely. To figure that out, I want to chat briefly about a site named Charity Navigator.

In a nutshell, Charity Navigator tracks and reports the behavior of over 5,000 charities.

“…We ensure our evaluations are widely used by making them easy to understand and available to the public free of charge. By guiding intelligent giving, we aim to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace, in which givers and the charities they support work in tandem to overcome our nation’s most persistent challenges.”

So for sample purposes, I randomly chose a charity in Chicago to see their expenses and stats:


I can also compare them to other charities in their peer group:


Get the idea? Good. My point is not to talk you into donating. My point is that you do it with care.

While you are at their site be sure to read through some of their tips. Here is a sample:

SJW

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