Thousands of nonprofit organizations currently benefit children in the United States, even more if you count those operating internationally. If you're considering several charities, or trying to decide to give to one, it helps to rate the charity. Rating the charity is a personal experience, as you set your own criteria. Many resources and tools (included at the bottom) are at your disposal to help you rate a charity.
Instructions
Rating Guide
1. Evaluate your priorities. To rate a children's charity, take stock of things that matter to you. For example, you might pick categories like health, education, nutrition or leadership. Select a target age range of children you'd like to help. Being clear on what's important to you will help you evaluate your philanthropic impact in the long run.
2. Verify the organization. Children's charities are not immune to scammers and spammers trying to use their cause to take advantage of generous donors. If you've never heard of the organization or are in any way uneasy about giving, check them out. Go to BBB.org/us/charity to see if any complaints have been filed on the children's charity in question. Go to GuideStar.org to check their 990, a tax form that all nonprofits must complete and make public. Call them to request their certificate for 501(c)(3) determination letter, which certifies that they are recognized by the IRS as a charitable organization.
3. Friend and family factor. It can be fun and incredibly rewarding to join a friend or family member in giving to a children's charity. If a trusted friend or family member has already done the leg work of evaluating a charity or otherwise knows the children's charity is effective, give to the same one. Giving as a group can help expand your philanthropic impact.
4. Charity's impact. Read impact stories and examine statistics presented in the children's charity reports. Refer to your priorities. For example, if you care about elementary-aged girls and their access to health education, evaluate how the children's charity is reaching that target group and what types of programs they provide. The children's charity should back up marketing and public relations claims with factual evidence that their programs work.
5. Financials. Examine the children's charity's financial statements, which are usually found in the annual reports. You can request any financial statement from the children's charity or you can find it on the charity's website. Visit CharityNavigator.org and search for your children's charity. The site provides ratings on organizational efficiency, capacity, income, privacy standards and leadership.
6. Sustainability. Make sure the program or organization has sufficient resources or the capacity to secure resources to maintain the program or the organization itself. View the organization's list of donors and compare trends over the years. The organization should be diversifying and growing their donor base. For new organizations, they should have a solid plan and adequate resources to sustain itself and its programs.
Tags: children charity, family member, friend family member, health education, philanthropic impact, program organization
