There are a number of different charities across the world and some of these are legitimate. To help donors find the legitimate charities services like Charity Navigator can help. This organization is a non profit independent evaluator of charities in America.

The stated goal of this organization is to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of America’s largest charities.

What this organization does is to look at the financial health of charities in America. With the help of this organization donors can see what the charity goal of different charities is. You will get to see how the charities spend the money that is given. From the financial statements you will get an idea of how well organized a charity is. You also gain an insight into how they use the money for their cause.

Besides looking at the financial outlook of a charity you have the option of looking for tips about charities. From this section in the Charity Navigator you can see what criteria you should follow to choose a charity to give donations. Besides seeing how to choose a charity you will find other tips.

This section in the Charity Navigator also has good resources for you to check out. From this section you can find ways to protect yourself from online scams. Older donors will find useful information in this recourses section too. Of course using the Charity Navigator does not mean that you will be able to find all of the charities in America.

At present Charity Navigator will have information on over 5,000 different charities in America. There is information about organizations which deal in international operations. One more way that you can find what a charity is like is to look at its rank in the Navigator site. This will inform you if the charity is well run and can perform the charity of its stated purpose.

All of these information aspects aside you will get news about charity activities that are taking place around the world. These hot topics as they are known will give you an insight as to various situations that need charitable help.

You also have the opportunity of visiting a charity blog that is linked to the Charity Navigator site. From these links you can see what people think about charities and the work that they do.

With so much of information being found on the internet it is sometimes hard to find what you want. Charity Navigator is one of the ways to find information about charities. The service from this organization is a great help to all donors. The vast amount of information will let you choose what you want to see. Charity navigator will let you see the charity you want in depth and without all of the extra

For those concerned about how their charity dollars are used, The American Institue of Philanthropy (AIP) provides a way to evaluate your favorite charity’s efficiency.  Their mission statement is succinct:

 ”The mission of the American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP), a nonprofit charity watchdog and information service, is to maximize the effectiveness of every dollar contributed to charity by providing donors with the information they need to make more informed giving decisions.”

 The American Institute of Philanthropy’s “Top Rated” charities provide a nice snapshot of organizations meeting their evaluation criteria:

“The mission categories below list charities which get high grades from AIP for putting 75% or more towards program cost while generally spending $25 or less to raise $100. These groups also receive an “open book” credit from AIP for willingly sending the financial documents we request.”

Their page of “top-rated” charities is quite useful, reflecting those charities receiving grades of A+ through B.   They also rate charities with C, D and F grades within their Charity Rating Guide.  The guide is basically free, they simply ask for $3.00 postage and handling. You can find the address via the link above.

 What I really appreciate about AIP is that they provide an essential service that is often lacking in the non-profit sector.  Many non-profits have little oversight and reporting requirements, and do not always provide clarity regarding how donor money is used.  AIP provides a way to gain a clearer perspective with an objective process for evaluation.  The site is quite useful, and provides links to all charities listed.