Before you give to any charity, be sure to check that the charity meets these three criteria.
Fiscal Health: Financially healthy organizations – those that are both financially efficient and sustainable - have greater flexibility and freedom to pursue their charitable mission. Charity Navigator’s 0 to 4- star rating system includes a review of each charity’s fiscal performance.
Accountable & Transparent: Generally speaking, charities that are accountable follow good governance practices and are therefore less likely to engage in unethical or irresponsible activities so, the risk that charities would misuse donations is lower than for charities that don't adopt such practices. In addition, an organization that is transparent will share its performance openly with the public. Therefore all stakeholders can investigate the details of the charity's work without having to struggle for access to the information. If a charity is doing good work, then it should have nothing to hide. As the saying goes, "sunlight is the best disinfectant!" Donors can access a review of each charity’s Accountability & Transparency via Charity Navigator’s free website.
Results: Knowing what the charity has accomplished is a critical step; after all, the charity’s ability to bring about long lasting and meaningful change in the world is the key reason for their existence and what you want your donation to be used for. Charity Navigator has
begun to provide a review of each charity’s results reporting, but this data will not impact any charity's rating until we have the data for all of the charities we rate. In the meantime, you can learn about a charity’s results by reviewing its website and/or talking with staff. They should be able to tell you more than just the number of activities or people served and speak to the quality and depth of their results (for example, not just whether someone got a job but for how long) as well as their capacity to continue to get these results.