When you give to charity, it’s important to know your money is going to a good cause. However, with so many different charities out there and so many different ways to give, it’s not always obvious how trustworthy an organization might be. Checking whether a charity is legitimate before giving them money is an important step in preventing fraud and helping your money go further. Various websites let users search for registered charities that they can trust before donating. These sites can also help you see which of the numerous charities out there meet your preferred criteria so you can cut down on redundant giving and focus on organizations that meet your needs more specifically. Below we explore some of the best charity checker websites available today and how they can help you vet potential charitable givers before handing over any cash.
What is a Charity Checker?
A charity checker is a tool that lets you see how effective and trustworthy an organization is. They can help you find out about both national and local charities and show you information about the organization’s financial health and impact. Charity checkers are often used when you want to give to a specific cause rather than donate to a general fund. Since every organization is different and some are more trustworthy than others, it’s important to do some research to find out which ones are the most effective. A charity checker can help you do this. Charity checkers collect information about different charities in one place and usually allow you to filter for different criteria, including whether the charity is national or local, what type of causes they focus on, and how much money they spend on administrative costs. Using a charity checker can help you find a cause that’s important to you and be sure you’re donating to a reputable organization that will put your money to good use.
Guide to the Best Charity Checker Sites in 2021
Several different sites can help you vet charitable organizations. The following are some of the best and most trustworthy charity checker sites of 2021. – Give Well – Charity Navigator – Guidepoint – Bottom line – The Best Charity Checker Sites for 2021
Give Well
Give Well is an independent organization that ranks recommended charities by their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. They release updated charity recommendations each year and use strict vetting processes to select just a few that they feel are the most cost-effective ways to donate. – Give Well is one of the best charity checker sites because it is entirely independent and doesn’t earn money from the organizations it recommends. All of the information on its site is free, and it doesn’t take anything from the organizations it ranks, so it has no bias in its rankings. – Give Well publishes detailed information about each recommended charity, including each organization’s cost-effectiveness, fundraising efficiency, and room for more funding. It also includes a breakdown of how different types of donations are used and how much is spent on administrative costs. – Give Well’s ranking system is rigorous and extensive, covering a wide variety of criteria that most other charity checker sites don’t look at. It’s thorough and is sure to help you find an effective and cost-efficient organization to donate to. – Give Well’s only downside is the fact that it only recommends a few charities each year. This means that you’ll have to wait until next year to find out which ones are the best for your needs.
Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator is a site that evaluates charities based on their financial health. It collects information about thousands of different charities across the country and uses this data to generate reports about their finances and the number of donors. – Charity Navigator is one of the best charity checker sites because it does a thorough job investigating charities’ financial health. It uses information from the Internal Revenue Service and other government agencies to collect data about how much money each charity has raised and how it’s spent. – Charity Navigator’s main draw is its financial health reports. You can search for a specific charity and find out how much they’ve raised this year, how much they’ve spent, and how much is left over. It also shows you how much of the donations have been spent on administrative costs, fundraising, and programs. – Another feature of Charity Navigator is its “donor advisory” system. This lets you select certain criteria, such as the amount of money you want to give and the type of organization you want to donate to, and shows you charities that fit your needs. – The main downside of Charity Navigator is that it is a for-profit organization. This means they make money from their rankings, so they likely won’t be as thorough as Give Well when ranking charities. They also charge a fee for some of their services, which makes the site less accessible to those who can’t afford to pay.
Guidepoint
Guidepoint is a nonprofit website that recommends charities based on user votes. It lets users rate different organizations and share their thoughts on them as well as vote on which charities they think are most effective. – Guidepoint is one of the best charity checker sites thanks to its user-driven system. Each charity’s page has a poll where users can rate them and offer their opinions on the effectiveness of the organization. This lets you see what other people think about each nonprofit and base your own decision on what other users have to say. – Guidepoint rates all charities in three categories, including financial health. This lets you see how much money each nonprofit has raised and how much they’ve spent on administrative costs. It also shows you how much of your donation has gone toward each category so you can see how effective each organization is. – Another benefit of Guidepoint is that it lets you search for charities by location. You can also search based on what cause you want to support, and it shows you nearby organizations that fit your needs. – The only downside of Guidepoint is that it only rates national charities. This means that you won’t find any options for local nonprofits, which can also be a good way to give back.
Bottom line
When you’re researching charities, it’s important to vet them thoroughly before donating. A good way to do this is by using a charity checker site that lets you see how effective each organization is and how well they spend your money. Several different sites can help you do this, each with its pros and cons. Choose one that is thorough, easy to use, and that lets you see all the information you need to make an informed decision. With the help of a charity checker site, you can find an effective and trustworthy organization to donate to and ensure your money is put to good use.
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