DIY Life

Have you ever been in the position where you'd like to give some money to a charitable organization but you don't know which charity will make the best use of your donation? Do you know if a particular charity serves your financial intentions? In the past, it was quite difficult to determine the relative value of an investment in a charitable organization. In the information age however, you can now research individual charities with ease to make a comfortable decision about who you're going to send your money to.

Charity Navigator is a website dedicated to researching and reporting on the monetary performance of charitable organizations large and small. Sites of this kind are extremely valuable and Kiplinger.com names Charity Navigator as one of it's 25 Best Web Sites for 2007.


Charity Navigator rates charity organizations based on a broad analysis of organizational efficiency and capacity. Simply put, Charity Navigator examines how a charity is spending the dollars they currently receive and how they are growing their programs over the long term. For instance, Charity Navigator indicates that Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin and Metropolitan Chicago spend only 7% of their annual budget on administrative expenses. The analysis also shows that while this charity is currently growing at a rate of about 18%, growth in expenses lags organizational growth by nearly 2%. Now that's pretty darn good.

If your year-end plans include some charitable contributions, you might like to investigate Charity Navigator for insight and clarity about who to give your money to. Experts recommend that you research your charities carefully, choose organizations which serve your principles, and be dedicated to the charities you choose to support.