Thousands of non-profit health and disease chartitable organizations ask us to donate money. Most of them are good, bona fide charities, allocating the bulk of their income toward research, education and patient assistance.
But others, even some of the biggest, highest income charities, are not every efficient, spending too much money on salaries and other administrative costs at the expense of patients' benefits. So how can we know which are the best charities to donate to?
Here is an approach to help you determine which of the health and disease charities deserves your donation:
Here's How:
Consider your interests and values.
Ask yourself questions like:
- What diagnoses have I dealt with (or do I have now?)
- What health and medical problems are part of my family history, or have been suffered by my friends or loved ones?
- What health challenges are (or were) suffered by those I want to honor or memorialize?
- What organizations already help people who are important to me?
Consider what goals and benefits are important to you.
Charities have different missions, and you will want to know the mission of any organization you donate to.
- Some charities will focus on researching treatments and cures - the science of a disease or condition.
- Others intend to provide educational services, helping people understand their health problems or deal with them better.
- Individuals who have trouble paying for their care, or who need assistance accessing their care (perhaps needing transportation) are also helped by some charities.
Consider scope:
- Local charities, like the children's hospital in your city or a support group organizing body will help the individuals in your community.
- National charities, like big-name hospitals or those focused on a specific disease or condition will promote research and education.
- Global charities will focus on improving public health, like focusing on vaccinations for children in third-world countries.
Determine who you want your money to help, and choose a charity focused on the scope of the organization that mirrors your interests.
Once you have considered the points above, you can research charities to find those that most closely fulfill your interests. There are a handful of great online resources to help you make those determinations. You may want to use all three to make your final determinations.
-
Charity Navigator allows you to search by the name of an organization or by the disease or condition you hope to support. It allows for some very deep research into the financials, efficiency, cost of administration and more. It also provides a list of all 4-star rated health-related charities (4-stars are its highest ranking.)
Charity Watch, a service provided by the American Institute of Philanthropy, provides a list of top rated health charities.
The Better Business Bureau will help you search for a rating on a specific charity. You won't be able to search for a group of charities with one focus, but you can find out how individual, even local, charities are rated or whether the BBB accredits them.
When your interests and values are combined with your research into well-run charities, you should be confident that your donations are being spent wisely, and focused toward what is important to you.
What You Need
- Your computer
- Your checkbook or credit card
