Charities like business organizations are regularly audited to make sure all their collections in the form of donations of cash and materials are all accounted for. The various state governments have a charity evaluation system in place to separate the good from the bad apples which are out for an easy buck or two. Charities are today harder to target because of tough regulation and control which the various states and Federal Agencies imposes on these selfless entities who work hard to give to the needy, help mother nature and even rush to the aid of people who are thousands of miles away.
Respectable charities are listed with the Charity Navigator, an NGO-run website which independently evaluates and checks each and every charity for approval and inclusion in their listing of charities to give to. Most people go to similar sites around the world to make sure they are giving to an organization that will get their donations to where they are needed. Some charities have international missions such as some religious and large scale ones who have the financial might or strong association with their governments to get aid to people halfway around the globe who have been devastated by natural disasters. Some groups are all for nature and the protection thereof like WWF, Earthshare and many more. Check out the Charity Navigator to view the best charities and their respective equivalent of a corporate standing file which details their activities, expenditures and the amount of funds they have sent out to other charities or individuals they are helping. It is important to deal with charities like dealing with a business for they are getting cash from strangers and lots of it. Financial reports are taken and studied by independent, state and federal offices to evaluate their standing.

Originally posted on December 24, 2010 @ 8:20 am