United Charity -- Your guide to smart charitable donations.

United Charity is a free resource dedicated to disseminating non-bias information about the worlds' largest and most respected charities. Please use the links to the left to choose and learn about the charity of your choice. You may also promote your favorite charity on this site for free. Just add a description and summary of a charity you love by clicking on the "Add your favorite charity button" above.

United Charity also provides articles that help you answer the most commonly asked questions about donating to a charity. For example, what are the IRS rules and guidelines for getting a tax write-off for a charitable donation? Does it increase my chances of audit if I try to write-off a donation? How do I know how much of the money or property I donate to a charity is really going to help a cause?

Before you choose a charity for a charitable donation, read the article below about the most important considerations when choosing a reputable charity.

• Just like you would check out a business before hiring a contractor, check out the charity you're interested in. Give.org is the Better Business Bureau's website. Complaints, ownership, profiles, and more can be found there. There's also a rating to help in evaluating a charity's overall status.
• If you received an email or flyer about an organization that interests you, but you haven't heard of them before, review the information presented carefully. Most charities don't 'spam' your email. Is there a physical address and a phone number provided? Is the email/flyer requesting personal information? Be cautious. Don't click on any links. Go to the charity's website and verify all data. If there isn't a website, beware. In fact, the fact a solicitation was sent in email or placed on a car or porch probably signals it's not a reputable charity.
• Request a financial statement for any charity you are contemplating donating to. Statements are prepared annually and should be readily available upon request.
• Ask the charity that has peeked your interest to supply a copy of their IRS 501c, which shows they are a non-profit charity.
• Make use of the various groups on the internet that have databases specifically for evaluating charities. Charity Navigator, Charity Watch, and GuideStar are just three of these sites. All have detailed information on charities that will help the potential donator in making a decision on what organization to support.
• Reputable charities should spend most of their income on the subject of their charity. As you review and research these groups, pay attention to how much of their funds are put aside for administrative cost and also for marketing or advertising. If this amount is more than 10 percent, you may want to consider another group. Charities that allocate an exorbitant amount of funds to their operations are not helping your dollar to maximize its potential.
• Make sure the charity you are intending to donate to *is* that charity. Con artists will set up groups with similar sounding names to reputable charities, hoping you'll donate to them instead. They'll also use logos that resemble that of a legitimate charity. Check their facts. Ask them to send you literature and provide the financial documents mentioned previously.
• Contact your state's consumer protection agency to obtain information on how a charity allocates their funds. Not all charities accurately report their funds, using creative definitions for educational activities, for example. You can also check with your state's Department of Agriculture and with the Secretary of State. One of these three resources should have accurate financial data that is independent of what the charity provides.
• If you're not dealing with the charity directly, but with a fundraising group, find out how much of what you're donating or purchasing goes to the actual charity. For example, merchandise is often offered on behalf of charities, but how much of that purchase really gets to the charitable organization? Ask the question, and if you aren't sure how the representative you are speaking with is aligned with the charity, ask them.
• Reputable charities will gladly provide potential donors with all of the above information. Use common sense. Do your homework. The internet is a great resource. Even a simple 'google' search may turn up information on both reputable charities and fraudulent scams.

Don't fall into the trap. If something seems suspicious or off, pass on it. For charities that are legitimate, financial statements and other literature are readily available. We are giving people. Use your smarts and make that giving count!