F-Rated Charities Receive Top Ratings & Seals From Nonprofit Trade Associations

Jun 22, 2023

Millions of donors regularly search online for ratings of charities before making their giving decisions. This makes sense. Most of us have heard horror stories about charity frauds and scams...

Precautions When Giving Store Check Out Donations

May 23, 2023

“‘Instead of waiting to be asked for a donation, go out there and find the causes that are important to you and then make a gift once you have taken the time...

How to Research Charities 101

Mar 15, 2023

CharityWatch's quality over quantity approach to rating charities necessitates a time-intensive process that unfortunately means we can’t rate every nonprofit. We hope these additional resources will aid you in your...

Charity Tax Deduction Tips 2022

Dec 27, 2022

Many generous people regularly donate to the causes they believe in irrespective of any potential tax benefits. Take advantage of tax deductions if you can and give generously if you...

Store Checkout Charity Donations

Dec 10, 2022

There are significant downsides to donating to charity in a store checkout line. Any time a donor puts a third party in between their donation and a charity, it increases...

Joint Costs: Avoid This Popular Charity Accounting Trick!

Dec 9, 2022

In nonprofit financial reporting, the funds spent on telemarketing, direct mail, or other solicitation activities that also include an "action step" or "call to action" are referred to as "Joint...

Reactive Donors Make Mistakes

Nov 30, 2022

"Styron says the best advice she can give to avoid charity scams, especially during the holidays, is to be proactive. 'Be proactive because when we're reactive, we make mistakes. The...

Is This Charity ‘Legit’?

Nov 29, 2022

Is this charity "legit"? Or, more correctly, is this charity "legitimate"? This is one of the most common questions asked by donors. And yet, what a donor defines as a...

Crowdfunding: The Wild West of Charitable Giving

Nov 24, 2022

"...[C]rowdfunding campaigns [are] the 'Wild West of charity fundraising... Good intentions mixed with hubris is a dangerous combination,' Styron said." Crowdfunding: Don't Rely on the Wisdom of the Crowd. 

Givers Give, Scammers Scam: How to Avoid Bad Charities

Nov 24, 2022

CharityWatch Executive Director, Laurie Styron, talks to Here & Now (National Public Radio) to prepare donors for Thanksgiving, Giving Tuesday, and the busy holiday giving season. 

Beware of Hurricane Ian Crowdfunding Scams

Oct 6, 2022

Criminals target the most vulnerable after disasters. Avoid scams and fake charities...

The Brett Favre Charity Controversy: Charities Are Not Piggy Banks For The Pet Projects of Their Founders

Sep 29, 2022

"Founding a charity to purportedly help breast cancer patients and underserved and disabled children, and then using it instead as a vehicle to funnel funds to a volleyball facility that...