March 24, 2005 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Q. I’d like to learn more about the effectiveness and efficiency of the charity I support. Where should I look?
A. A good place to start is with the charity itself. A nonprofit organization should be glad to show you its annual report (which you can also often find on a charity’s Web site), as well as direct you to any additional information on specific programs or services. If you don’t find the information that you’re looking for in the charity’s publications, don’t hesitate to call the group and ask. As a donor, you should also be able to get answers to your questions easily.
Of course, you might also want an objective assessment of how your charity performs. Your first stop should be the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. This organization collects data on hundreds of nonprofit organizations that solicit nationally for donations; it tracks information on the group’s programs, governance, fund-raising practices, and finances. In addition to its listing of national charities, the site also allows users to search for groups that operate regionally. (Data on regional charities is gathered by local Better Business Bureau offices.)
If you don’t see your charity on the Web site, use the inquiry form to ask what information the Wise Giving Alliance has available. The organization will send whatever information they have, and if they have nothing, your inquiry will increase the chance of a report being compiled eventually, since such inquiries influence the Wise Giving Alliance’s decisions on which charities to including in its rating service.
Other places to try: Charity Navigator, which keeps detailed financial information on more than 3,700 organizations, including how much a charity spends on fund raising and administration versus how much it spends on programs; and Charity Watch, operated by the American Institute of Philanthropy.
You might also want to check with your state’s attorney general’s office, particularly if you’re concerned that the organization might be doing something unethical. Find a listing of such offices by state here.
