Where to Give

For some people, one of the most difficult aspects of charitable giving is determining where to give their money. There are many worthwhile organizations in the community doing important work. 

As a starting point in deciding where to make your charitable gifts, you'll want to make sure that the recipients of your gifts have tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service, so that you may claim the appropriate federal tax deduction for your gift.

A common way in which people choose a charity is through their personal volunteer work with an organization, or through the recommendations of friends. There are also a growing number of resources available to help you find a charity that provides programs and services reflecting values similar to your own, research nonprofits working in areas of particular interest to you, and learn more about a particular nonprofit before making a giving decision. Here are some resources that can help:

RESEARCHING NONPROFITS
BBB Wise Giving Alliance
www.give.org 
Formed by the merger of the National Charities Information Bureau, the Better Business Bureau's Foundation and its Philanthropic Advisory Service, the Alliance promotes informed giving and enables contributors to make sound giving decisions by providing reports on national charities and information on local charities, and by publishing the quarterly Wise Giving Guide.

Charity Navigator
www.charitynavigator.org
Launched in 2002, this new free Web site service provides an analysis and rating of the financial health of more than 1,700 of America's largest charities. The service was founded by John P. Dugan, a retired businessman.

Guidestar
www.guidestar.org
Guidestar is an online database providing program and financial information on more than one million U.S. nonprofit organizations. Charities can be searched by name, subject, state, zip code, or other criteria. Guidestar also has a tutorial for understanding IRS Form 990.