If you love animals as I do, check out Bestfriends.org. I have volunteered for this sanctuary 12 years in a row. They are located in Kanab, Utah just outside Zion national park. You may remember the football player Michael Vic and all those poor pitbulls, well the majority of them were sent to Best Friends and were rehabilitated . The original founders were a group of 30 people with the same vision and here it is 35+ years later and now their children are running the organization. Please check them out Bestfriends.org

Shriners hospital and Saint Jude children’s research Hospital

Donations
 

Agree that Charity Navigator is a site that focuses on rating organizations that accept donations. If you’re wondering, it’s easy to see how Charity Navigator rates a company.

The charity that provides food and other things for the kids living in the Ocala National Forest. I forget the name. For a national one, I agree with the Salvation Army.

Favorite Charity
 

My favorite charity happens to be apart of my church First Baptist of Leesburg/Village Park Campus, The thrift store on 441 in Leesburg, all proceeds go the the many missions right and campus and aboard .. currently we have a medical center, men's shelter, woman's shelter, pregnancy center, Samaritan Inn for homeless families, plus a huge food pantry .. each area benefits from God's teaching along with education, plus finding a jobs to be able to provide for their self and families again..
next trip south of 27 check it out.. or check out this web site
First Baptist Church of Leesburg
God Bless America ..

St Jude!! Yes! That is my one and only charity which I donate to several times a year. Legit cause! No other charity comes close

Thanks. I use Charity Navigator and Guidestar, and I have read many Form 990's. Sometimes, the Form 990 seems to be very vague and not as transparent as it should be. What amazes me is that there are hundreds of thousands of 501c charities. It is too easy for anyone to start a charity and get the IRS tax exemption status. I have read some Form 990's where a single family is taking more than 90 percent of the donations in salary, and spending a tiny amount on the people they claim to be helping. But, apparently, it is legal as long as they spend some money for the charity mission.

I give to the local Salvation Army (Leesburg) and this year I added Boys Town and St.Jude's , would love to give more but with my limited income I do what I can.

Salvation Army (lowest admin cost of any charity) & St. Judes Children's Hospital.

Try checking out charitywatch.org or chairitynavigator.org.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is an EXCELLENT choice...I trained there as a nursing student back in the day...all they care about is helping to save children with an excellent support group for the families!!!

St. Jude, DAV, Boys Town..to name a few......what's charity touches your heart?

St Judes, Shriners, DAV & Tunnels to Towers.

Cross Catholic Outreach. Financial statement is front and center on their webpage. And they let you know how and where your money is being used. Cross Catholic Outreach | Catholic Outreach Ministries for the Poor | Delivering food, shelter, and hope to the poorest of the poor

Mine is the Salvation Army as well. They went to the top of my list when I was in the Army. The Red Cross doesn't do or give half of what the Salvation Army does.

I lived in Baton Rouge when Katrina hit. All the disaster groups came into town to help. We set-up a meeting of the groups to assign responsibilities and disburse money. The Red Cross demanded to chair the meeting, take charge of the situation and disburse the funds. They were disinvited.

At the same time, the Salvation Army came into town. They did not attend the meeting, they did not ask for any funds, they just went about their business. A colleague commented, "They're like the Quakers, they keep to themselves and just do their thing."