Costly and Continuous Kars4Kids Ads Disguise Charity’s Real Purpose

Mar 10, 2017

Described by many as annoying and by SFGate.com as the subject of "widespread, ubiquitous hate," the catchy advertising jingle for the charity known as Kars4Kids can now be heard not...

Multiple Names + Exaggerated Programs = Two Related Charities, But Little Help for Vets or Cancer Relief

Sep 20, 2016

Veterans and cancer are two of the most popular charitable causes to which Americans direct significant donations. While these two causes seemingly have little to do with one another, one...

CharityWatch Ratings Bridge the Knowledge Gap between Donors and GAAP Reporting

Aug 10, 2016

What do you know about GAAP? Unless you are knowledgeable about accounting, probably very little. GAAP is short for Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Sounds like boring stuff you don't need...

Making Sense of WWP’s Program Spending: Which Ratio Should You Believe?

Jun 17, 2016

Ever since the popular veterans charity Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) was accused of wasting donations on lavish spending in reports by CBS News and The New York Times in early...

Charity Finishes Last at Car Donation Charities: Micro-Mini Share of Proceeds Go to Charity

Dec 18, 2015

Its "Wheels for Wishes" ads that mention "Make-A-Wish" have attracted tens of thousands of car donations, but it appears that many more of these "wheels" are for profits than for...

Long Running Family Charity Scheme Exposed

Jul 27, 2015

Unfortunately for most of us, we have been touched personally by cancer in some way. That makes it all the more shameful when bad actors in the charity world mislead...

Donors’ Intentions Violated at For-profit Thrift Stores

Jan 22, 2015

When you donate unwanted clothes or household goods to a charity for resale at thrift stores, just how much of the dollar value of those items actually goes to the...

Thrift Store Donations for Veterans Charity Investigated

Dec 10, 2014

Veterans benefit very little when clothes and household items are donated to Vietnam Veterans of America. Watch CharityWatch president talk with Portland, OR KATU TV investigators about CharityWatch's analysis of...

Tips for Donating a Car to Charity

May 16, 2012

A charity that uses a donated vehicle for transportation or hauling goods obviously benefits directly from such a donation. However, in many cases donated cars will be sold en masse,...

Car Donations: Taking Taxpayers for a Ride

May 16, 2012

Car donations to charities seem like a win-win proposition. A donor gets a hassle-free way of disposing of an old car and a fat tax deduction, a charity gets money...

Tips for Donating Your Old Cell Phone

May 16, 2012

Americans are replacing their cell phones about once every two years to get the latest and greatest model. So what do we do with all of our leftover phones? An...

View Through the Looking Glass

Apr 1, 2012

In August of 2011 CharityWatch published The Alice in Wonderland World of Charity Valuation, in which we described a serious problem among many charities that raise and distribute non-cash aid...