I recommend using the websites "Charity Navigator" and "Guidestar" which provide reviews of charities. You can set up a username and password for both sites, which will give you access to the IRS Form 990 that charities need to submit every year. Although, reading these forms do not always tell you much about the charity. They are very vague. I like to check the salaries of the highest paid people who manage the charity. For example, the charity "Wounded Warriors Project" has at least 10 very highly compensated officers. The CEO makes more money than any military officer has ever made in the history of the country. That is why I would never donate to that charity. Also, if you search "wounded warriors" you will find that there are thousands of other charities who are using a similar name, a common practice in the charity business. It is also important to read the charity's mission statement because the charity may not be doing what you think it is doing.
My biggest complaint about charities is that it is very easy to get the IRS designation as a tax deductible 501c3 charity, but there is no IRS requirement to have any efficiency at all. As long as you spend some money on your charity's stated mission, it is legal. So, theoretically, you can raise $10 million in donations, but, if you only spend $100 on the mission, the IRS doesn't care. In my opinion, picking a good charity is more important than how you spread the money around.
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