Information
Choosing a Charity Wisely
Make sure your charitable giving is well spent. New York Times article spells out the best ways to assess and evaluate charities.
National Philanthropic Trust
"A public charity dedicated to providing philanthropic expertise to donors, foundations and financial institutions."
Watchdogs and Ratings
Charity Navigator
Four-start ratings compare extensively researched charities. Search for particular organizations, or explore categorized recommendations. Easiest to use of the big charity comparison services.
CharityWatch
Originally the American Institute of Philanthropy. Charity Watch uses an A-F rating system and focuses on exposing non-profit swindles and fraud.
GiveWell
This group does deep analysis of non-profits and recommends a small number of charities it judges to be having the greatest impact and doing the most good.
BBB Wise Giving Alliance
The Better Business Bureau researches and applies 20 "accountability standards" to thousands of charities, naming about 40% them "BBB Accredited Charities."
GuideStar
Get access to records on millions of non-profits registered with the IRS. Premium services allow users to view financial ratios, executive compensation details, etc.
Charities
Save the Children
The world’s oldest child sponsorship organization, and still the best. Save the Children does remarkable work assisting villages and communities in developing nations (and in the U.S.).
Wheelchair Foundation
A wonderful organization that distributes free wheelchairs to low-income, disabled individuals throughout the world who would otherwise be immobile.
Kiva
Kiva connects poor entrepreneurs who need micro loans to start small businesses with donors willing to sponsor them. Recycle your giving! Super fun and highly effective.
Union of Concerned Scientists
Science in the service of a better world. UCS scientists and engineers provide sound scientific analysis and solutions to the world's most pressing problems.
Heifer International
Just one or two animals, like a mating pair of goats, can make an enormous difference in the lives of rural families in developing nations.
East Bali Poverty Project
While the island of Bali is the most prosperous province of Indonesia, East Bali is a pocket of dire poverty in an otherwise thriving and beautiful island state.
Oxfam
Working to end the unnecessary, heartbreaking scourge of world hunger, Oxfam International is an effective, established organization that deserves your support.
Habitat for Humanity
Jimmy Carter’s groundbreaking charity provides all necessary materials to low-income families willing to provide the labor to build their own first homes.
Big Brothers Big Sisters
The original child mentorship organization, doing phenomenal work for fatherless boys and motherless girls since the 1960’s.
Amnesty International
Please consider joining and aiding this world-famous organization in its vital work in support of human rights throughout the world (including in the U.S.).
350.org
Global climate change is real, man-made, and an ever-increasing danger to the future of humankind. Denial is no solution. Get involved, or get out of the way.
Pachamama
Pachamama Alliance focuses on human rights, environmental sustainability, and cultural exchange with indigenous peoples in South America.
World Wildlife Fund
Protecting nature since the 1960's, with membership in the millions, WWF is the leading conservation organization on Earth.
Seva Foundation
Seva brings the gift of sight to the poor by providing free eye care, surgery, medical treatment, and glasses to people throughout the world.
Sierra Club
America’s largest and most well known environmental organization, founded in San Francisco in 1892 by John Muir.
Glide Memorial Church
Lizzie Glide's experiment has succeeded! Nearly 100 years later, this seminal service-oriented church from the 1960s still lifts people and spirits higher. There's no place like Glide.
Doctors Without Borders
Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999 for providing medical aid to those affected by emergencies, natural disasters, or unavailability of care.
The National Audubon Society
Since 1905, Audubon has worked to protect birds and conserve their natural habitats throughout the Americas.
Summer Search
Mentorship organization for low-income teens. Selected scholars receive 7-9 years of leadership training, summer experiences, and comprehensive college advising.
Friends of the Earth
David Brower's famed international network of environmental organizations run by activists in nearly half the nations of the world. I worked with John in my youth.
St. Anthony's
Since 1950, St. Anthony's Dining Hall has served the poor in San Francisco's Tenderloin. providing meals, health care, social work, addiction recovery, job training, and more.
The Nature Conservancy
World-leading nature conservation organization working to save critically important lands and ecological habitats by purchasing key areas outright to save them from development.
urban pathways
This organization finds viable solutions to the problem of homelessness in our cities. YouTube channel. CNN piece. Finding a way to stop looking away.
Choosing a Charity Wisely
Make sure your charitable giving is well spent. New York Times article spells out the best ways to assess and evaluate charities.
National Philanthropic Trust
"A public charity dedicated to providing philanthropic expertise to donors, foundations and financial institutions."
Watchdogs and Ratings
Charity Navigator
Four-start ratings compare extensively researched charities. Search for particular organizations, or explore categorized recommendations. Easiest to use of the big charity comparison services.
CharityWatch
Originally the American Institute of Philanthropy. Charity Watch uses an A-F rating system and focuses on exposing non-profit swindles and fraud.
GiveWell
This group does deep analysis of non-profits and recommends a small number of charities it judges to be having the greatest impact and doing the most good.
BBB Wise Giving Alliance
The Better Business Bureau researches and applies 20 "accountability standards" to thousands of charities, naming about 40% them "BBB Accredited Charities."
GuideStar
Get access to records on millions of non-profits registered with the IRS. Premium services allow users to view financial ratios, executive compensation details, etc.
Charities
Save the Children
The world’s oldest child sponsorship organization, and still the best. Save the Children does remarkable work assisting villages and communities in developing nations (and in the U.S.).
Wheelchair Foundation
A wonderful organization that distributes free wheelchairs to low-income, disabled individuals throughout the world who would otherwise be immobile.
Kiva
Kiva connects poor entrepreneurs who need micro loans to start small businesses with donors willing to sponsor them. Recycle your giving! Super fun and highly effective.
Union of Concerned Scientists
Science in the service of a better world. UCS scientists and engineers provide sound scientific analysis and solutions to the world's most pressing problems.
Heifer International
Just one or two animals, like a mating pair of goats, can make an enormous difference in the lives of rural families in developing nations.
East Bali Poverty Project
While the island of Bali is the most prosperous province of Indonesia, East Bali is a pocket of dire poverty in an otherwise thriving and beautiful island state.
Oxfam
Working to end the unnecessary, heartbreaking scourge of world hunger, Oxfam International is an effective, established organization that deserves your support.
Habitat for Humanity
Jimmy Carter’s groundbreaking charity provides all necessary materials to low-income families willing to provide the labor to build their own first homes.
Big Brothers Big Sisters
The original child mentorship organization, doing phenomenal work for fatherless boys and motherless girls since the 1960’s.
Amnesty International
Please consider joining and aiding this world-famous organization in its vital work in support of human rights throughout the world (including in the U.S.).
350.org
Global climate change is real, man-made, and an ever-increasing danger to the future of humankind. Denial is no solution. Get involved, or get out of the way.
Pachamama
Pachamama Alliance focuses on human rights, environmental sustainability, and cultural exchange with indigenous peoples in South America.
World Wildlife Fund
Protecting nature since the 1960's, with membership in the millions, WWF is the leading conservation organization on Earth.
Seva Foundation
Seva brings the gift of sight to the poor by providing free eye care, surgery, medical treatment, and glasses to people throughout the world.
Sierra Club
America’s largest and most well known environmental organization, founded in San Francisco in 1892 by John Muir.
Glide Memorial Church
Lizzie Glide's experiment has succeeded! Nearly 100 years later, this seminal service-oriented church from the 1960s still lifts people and spirits higher. There's no place like Glide.
Doctors Without Borders
Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999 for providing medical aid to those affected by emergencies, natural disasters, or unavailability of care.
The National Audubon Society
Since 1905, Audubon has worked to protect birds and conserve their natural habitats throughout the Americas.
Summer Search
Mentorship organization for low-income teens. Selected scholars receive 7-9 years of leadership training, summer experiences, and comprehensive college advising.
Friends of the Earth
David Brower's famed international network of environmental organizations run by activists in nearly half the nations of the world. I worked with John in my youth.
St. Anthony's
Since 1950, St. Anthony's Dining Hall has served the poor in San Francisco's Tenderloin. providing meals, health care, social work, addiction recovery, job training, and more.
The Nature Conservancy
World-leading nature conservation organization working to save critically important lands and ecological habitats by purchasing key areas outright to save them from development.
urban pathways
This organization finds viable solutions to the problem of homelessness in our cities. YouTube channel. CNN piece. Finding a way to stop looking away.