Awhile back, our 8th graders took some class time to research charities. In this day and age, it is not enough just to give and enjoy the feeling of giving, many times we need to make sure the money we are giving is actually going to the cause we want it to go to. Believe it or not, not all charities are equal. Some take your money and use it wisely, others spend it all on advertising, fundraising, and salaries of their workers. Our students researched a charity of their choice on one of the following two sites:
They did lots of research by finding key information. Now, it is my turn. I am going to post the best and worst charities that they researched and provide you links to their charity navigator score. This score ranges from 0-70 with scores in the 50s being the sign of a good charity and scores in the 60s the sign of a great charity. Scores below 45 means the charity has some issues. One of the main ways a charity is rated is based on the percent they give to programming, or the "cause" of the charity. You would like this number to be above 75%, meaning $75 out of every $100 you give them goes to the cause. Closer to 100%, the better! Many other factors go into Charity Navigator's scores and their scores change often, so check back to see if our list has changed. Without further ado, here is this year's list....
Top Charities we researched:
Here a few other charities that did not get great scores, but give over 90% of your donation right back to the cause you were supporting:
Marines Toys for Tots: 97% goes to programming costs (the cause)
American Red Cross: 92% goes to programming costs
Africare: 92% goes to programming costs
Now, on to the worst charities we researched. Don't be confused though, these charities didn't score well, but that does not mean they are worthy charities, just that you can likely find better charities that do the same thing. Many charities are not even reviewed by this site as they do not even make the grade to get reviewed or are too small. So, to be on this site is at least a step in the right direction. However, the first charity listed definitely has some major concerns and I would not recommend it. After that, I just encourage you to really research the charity before you give. Here are the lowest rated charities we researched....
1. Youth Development Fund: 2.5 (over 80% of your donation goes to more fundraising. Very little goes to the actual cause!)
There you have it, our research 2010-11! Please visit the charity research sites the next time you are looking to donate some of your time, talents, or money.
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