There are various resources for charity reviews, including the Better Business Bureau, government verification, private charity rating organizations, local newspapers and service organizations, and reputable non-profit organizations. These reviews help determine if a charity is a suitable beneficiary for donations.
There are several resources for charity reviews that can be used to determine whether or not a charity is a suitable beneficiary for donations of goods, services or funds. Various agencies scrutinize charities to see how their funds are used, how efficiently they operate and whether or not the charities have received complaints. These reviews are freely accessible to members of the general public who wish to peruse them.
If your country has a Better Business Bureau or similar organization, this is usually a good resource to start with when evaluating charities. Organizations that agree to participate in the Better Business Bureau (BBB) submit themselves to the audit, provide information about themselves, and provide an avenue for people who wish to compile complaints. The BBB may use numerical or ranking ratings to indicate how reliable and efficient a charity is, and often includes financial organization disclosures such as the percentage of donations that actually go to the cause the charity benefits.
Verification of the government’s status as a recognized charity can also help, as this suggests that a charity has submitted documentation for audit by the tax authorities and is in compliance with certain rules. However, being certified as a charity does not automatically make you a reputable organization.
Private charity rating organizations such as Smart Givers, Charity Navigator and the American Institute of Philanthropy also evaluate charities and rank them using their own criteria. Reports from these organizations can be very reliable and informative, and these groups also review charities whether or not they submit to ranking, which means that the set of organizations reviewed is not self-selected.
Another good source is a local newspaper or service organization. Newspapers often list charities they deem worthy or reputable during the holiday season to encourage people to donate, and their reporters may also periodically profile local organizations. Service organizations also provide charitable reviews and recommendations to members of the public who request them, as do many churches. Some churches or service organizations are officially affiliated with specific charities, which are often carefully vetted, and these organizations can be a good resource for information on good places to donate.
Information about charities can also be obtained from reputable non-profit organizations. If a nonprofit doesn’t offer specific recommendations because it wants to encourage people to donate to it rather than another group, potential donors can look to charities that the organization has been affiliated with. If Nonprofit A and Charity B worked together on a project, chances are good that the organization investigated the charity and determined that it was a worthy organization to work for and therefore the charity is probably a good candidate for a grant.
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