Your Ultimate Guide to Picking a Charity That Best Suits Your Values

Has the philanthropic bug finally bit you? Suddenly it dawns on you that you’re finally at a place in your life where you have a little extra money in your pocket. Of course you could go out and treat yourself to a fancy dinner, or buy that extravagant lip kit you’ve been ogling over for months, but what if you could spend it on something even better?

Being altruistic has benefits that far outweigh the boost of self confidence you get when you realize that you do look as good in purple lipstick as you thought you would. As referenced by Huffington Post, a study by the University of Buffalo gave results that supported the fact that being generous and charitable in your actions give people a lower chance at having an early death. The other benefits of being giving, such as decreased depression and happier marriages, make it a cure-all remedy in life.

Of course you want to give your money to a worthy cause, but you can’t contribute to all of them. Well, maybe you could, but somehow giving one dollar to 50 different charities seems counterproductive. You want to go all out and know that you’re supporting something fully. The problem nowadays is that, according to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, you have about 1,571,056 nonprofit organizations to choose from. What’s worse, there’s far too many overlaps to choose just one cause. You could be wading through a sea of cancer research organizations for weeks before making a final decision.

Your hard earned dollars are not to be wasted, and you don’t want to hand them over to a charity that’s not organized enough to disperse them effectively. That’s why it’s so important to do your research before committing to one. Here are some things to consider before choosing to donate to one charity over another.

1 Does their mission statement align with your values?

Though the name of the charity may seem like something you’d like to support, you should always check their mission statement before donating. A charity named, “Monologues for Dogs,” could give the impression that the workers are speaking up for animal rights. You could donate $100 to the charity, just to later find out that they are actually a dog play production theatre.

2 How old is the organization you re donating to?

An organization could have the best intentions in the world, but things can easily become ineffective when they’re not seasoned in running a charity system. Choosing a charity that’s been around awhile means that you can see how successful they have or have not been in the past, and whether they’re worth donating to. (It must be said, there are still potential flaws in older charities. Choosing a charity purely by age is not recommended.)

3 Where are they going to complete most of their work?

Many charities focus their efforts within a specific geographic location. If you want to support homelessness in your own community, you should find a local charity rather than a nationwide one. See how far their reach goes before donating. The benefit of local charities is that it’s usually easier to see how your contributions are being spent, whereas worldwide organizations can impact the lives of people who may need the money more.

4 Are they transparent about where the money goes?

If a charity isn’t willing to give you a breakdown of exactly how their money is spent, then it could likely be a scam. Even if it’s not a scam, why would you want to throw money into a charity that isn’t willing to tell you how it’s spent? As cited by NBC News, Laurie Styron, an analyst with the American Institute of Philanthropy, says, “efficient groups will spend at least 65 percent of their funds on the causes they support.” Checking online or calling the charity to ask about the cost breakdown is totally appropriate and will help you make an informed decision about whether or not to donate.

5 What have they done in the past?

A great way to gauge whether or not a charity is serious about its mission is by looking at what they’ve done in the past. If a charity is meant to provide housing for impoverished citizens in Asia, then you should check to see if they have actually build any houses.

We hope these questions help you figure out which charity is right for you! If you’re having trouble finding one, Charity Navigator is an amazing resource. Their website is full of facts, figures, suggestions, and breakdowns of a huge variety of charities. Happy hunting!