Charity Watchdogs

Charity Watchdogs: What Are They?

A charity watchdog is an organization that monitors the activities of various charities in order to empower individuals, businesses, and corporations with the knowledge necessary to make wise donating decisions.  Charity watchdogs are non-profit groups that research various charities, look into the financial background of such charities, and review how the charities invest donated funds, and manage finances.  Once a full assessment is made, the watchdog organization rates the charity and provides people with a rating or grade based on the performance of the said charity.

The reliance on a charity watchdog organization is quite beneficial to a potential giver, one that is in the process of seeking out organizations to donate to.  Instead of offering money to an organization that may not put the donation to good use, the potential giver now has the ability to discover what charities manage their funds most effectively.


The Mission of Charity Watchdogs

With so many charities in existence it becomes a task of great difficulty for the potential giver to determine what charity to donate to.  There are many authentic charities that desperately require funding to keep the organization alive and functioning.  Meanwhile, there are other charities that are not necessarily legitimate, and still others that are legitimate but may be mismanaged or poorly managed.  With charity watchdogs in existence it becomes far easier to select a reputable charity to donate to.  Charity watchdogs are not in place to hold one charity or cause higher than the other, but to ensure that the giver’s funds are going to an organization that will put such funds to excellent use.


Charity Watchdogs and the Benefits

The benefits derived from relying on a charity watchdog are myriad.  First, a giver can rest assured in knowing that any funds donated to a charity or charities are well used and not wasted.  Thus, charity watchdog organizations offer givers peace of mind.  Secondly, charity watchdogs make the process of selecting a charity or charities a simpler process.  Instead of searching for charities and then having to spend considerable time researching the background of the charities in question, the giver can rely on the dependable guides, information, and rating system of the charity watchdog.

In addition to offering information about various charities, the numerous charity watchdog organizations exist to educate givers.  Advice, tips, and articles about selecting charities, how to deduct charitable donations, and effective ways to donate are often provided by watchdog organizations.  What is more, the watchdog organizations work tirelessly to provide givers with information about how to avoid potential charity scams; the latter act helps to ensures that only deserving charities receive donations.


Finding a Charity Watchdog

There are a number of different charity watchdogs that make information available to potential donors both online as well as offline.  The American Institute of Philanthropy provides information on the top rated charities and relies on a rating system of A to F to rate different charities.  The top rated charities have ratings that fall within the A to B range, but there are many good charities that fall into the C rating range as well.  You can visit the American Institute of Philanthropy at http://www.charitywatch.org/.  The organization also provides a detailed guide to charities available by request.

Alternatively, potential givers can also find significant information offered at Charity Navigator.  The Charity Navigator website is located at:
 http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=109.
Charity Navigator researches public charities but it does not focus on religious organizations or privately funded organizations.  In addition, those charities that are classified as a 501(c) (4) organization are excluded from Charity Navigator’s rating system because of the lobbying and government interactions of such organizations.

GuideStar at http://www.guidestar.org/ is yet another excellent charity watchdog organization.  Registration at the GuideStar website is free and GuideStar offers a very large database of nonprofit organizations and related information.  The GuideStar database currently holds information pertaining to more than 1.7 million charities.  Meanwhile, JustGive http://www.justgive.org/ helps givers select a quality charity while relying on the research conducted by GuideStar.
In addition to relying on the above organizations to discover quality charities, potential donors may want to consider paying a visit to the Better Business Bureau’s website at”
http://us.bbb.org/WWWRoot/SitePage.aspx?site=113&id=4ef08b14-37cb-4974-a385-7f41f63b16b0

The BBB Wise Giving Alliance has a unique affiliation with the Council of Better Business Bureaus and they will permit the potential giver to access the records they have on a particular charity.  The giver can research to see if the charity has met the accreditation standards set forth by the BBB, and they can further place a complaint if they donate monies and find that they have difficulty with a chosen charity.  Givers can also discover which charities hold the official seal of approval offered by the BBB; the seal is only offered to charities that meet the BBB’s Standards of Charity Accountability.  By visiting the BBB’s website, the potential giver can readily access a list of official seal holders.