Charity Research Organizations

“The meaning in life is to find your gift.  The purpose of life is to give it away” – Pablo Picasso

Here are some resources to help evaluate charities based on a variety of metrics.

The Exempt Organizations Select Check Tool - (IRS Select Check)

This is a tool on the IRS nonprofit charities database to see if an organization is exempt or not.  If the organization doesn’t have a (501(c)(3) tax exemption, your donation will not be tax deductible.  

 Charity Navigator - (www.charitynavigator.org)

Thousands of charities are evaluated on a numbers-based system.  Find out why an organization isn’t included. 

 Give.org - (www.give.org)

This is the website of the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance which reports about national charities. 

 Guidestar - (www.guidestar.org)

Guidestar is a resource to access financial information and the charities mission.

 Charity Watch - (www.charitywatch.org)

Charity watch rates charities on specific criteria.  Basic information is open to the public, but members-only access provides more detailed data.  It also reports instances of abuse.

Keep in mind that although the organization’s effectiveness is important, and certainly a criteria from a comparability standpoint, it’s actual mission is certainly a major factor.