Highest and Lowest-Rated Charities
We offer the following list as a quick reference guide to the highest and lowest-rated charity in each cause that we evaluate. In providing this list, our goal is to help you navigate the crowded charitable marketplace and make intelligent giving decisions.
Animal Rights, Welfare, and Services
Highest Rated
Austin Humane Society
Austin, TX
Lowest Rated
League for Animal Welfare
Batavia, OH
Botanical Gardens, Parks, and Nature Centers
Highest Rated
Piedmont Park Conservancy
Atlanta, GA
Lowest Rated
Naples Botanical Garden
Naples, FL
Children's and Family Services
Highest Rated
Jewish Family Service of San Diego
San Diego, CA
Lowest Rated
Stronger Families
Redmond, WA
Civil Rights and Advocacy
Highest Rated
Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund
Camp Pendleton, CA
Lowest Rated
Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund
Arlington, VA
Community and Housing Development
Highest Rated
Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven
New Haven, CT
Lowest Rated
Habitat for Humanity Silicon Valley
Milpitas, CA
Community Foundations
Highest Rated
The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
Atlanta, GA
Lowest Rated
Central Indiana Community Foundation
Indianapolis, IN
Development and Relief Services
Highest Rated
buildOn
Stamford, CT
Lowest Rated
Chabad's Children of Chernobyl
New York, NY
Diseases, Disorders, and Disciplines
Highest Rated
United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Chicago
Chicago, IL
Lowest Rated
Coalition Against Breast Cancer
St. James, NY
Environmental Protection and Conservation
Highest Rated
Environmental Law and Policy Center
Chicago, IL
Lowest Rated
Communities for a Better Environment
Oakland, CA
Food Banks, Food Pantries, and Food Distribution
Highest Rated
San Francisco Food Bank
San Francisco, CA
Lowest Rated
Senior Gleaners
Sacramento, CA
Fundraising Organizations
Highest Rated
AIDS United
Washington, DC
Lowest Rated
The Rusty Staub Foundation
Peabody, MA
Homeless Services
Highest Rated
Interfaith Housing Coalition
Dallas, TX
Lowest Rated
HomeAid Orange County
Irvine, CA
Humanitarian Relief Supplies
Highest Rated
Matthew 25: Ministries
Blue Ash, OH
Lowest Rated
Christ for Humanity
Tulsa, OK
International Peace, Security, and Affairs
Highest Rated
The Carter Center
Atlanta, GA
Lowest Rated
Southern Center for International Studies
Atlanta, GA
Libraries, Historical Societies and Landmark Preservation
Highest Rated
The New York Public Library
New York, NY
Lowest Rated
Academy Foundation
Beverly Hills, CA
Medical Research
Highest Rated
International AIDS Vaccine Initiative
New York, NY
Lowest Rated
Children's Hospital Foundation
Oklahoma City, OK
Multipurpose Human Service Organizations
Highest Rated
Armed Services YMCA
Alexandria, VA
Lowest Rated
The Association for Firefighters & Paramedics
Santa Ana, CA
Museums
Highest Rated
Intrepid Museum Foundation
New York, NY
Lowest Rated
The Parrish Art Museum
Southampton, NY
Other Education Programs and Services
Highest Rated
The Education Foundation of Collier County
Naples, FL
Lowest Rated
Pennsylvania Academy of Music
Lancaster, PA
Patient and Family Support
Highest Rated
Give Kids The World
Kissimmee, FL
Lowest Rated
Wishing Well Foundation USA
Metairie, LA
Performing Arts
Highest Rated
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
New York, NY
Lowest Rated
Primary Stages
New York, NY
Private Elementary and Secondary Schools
Highest Rated
Gesu School
Philadelphia, PA
Lowest Rated
Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA
Private Liberal Arts Colleges
Highest Rated
Carleton College
Northfield, MN
Lowest Rated
Northland College
Ashland, WI
Public Broadcasting and Media
Highest Rated
WJCT
Jacksonville, FL
Lowest Rated
KCBX
San Luis Obispo, CA
Religious Activities
Highest Rated
Joni and Friends
Agoura Hills, CA
Lowest Rated
Shiloh International Ministries
La Verne, CA
Religious Media and Broadcasting
Highest Rated
Lamb & Lion Ministries
McKinney, TX
Lowest Rated
Mario Murillo Ministries
San Ramon, CA
Research and Public Policy Institutions
Highest Rated
Carnegie Institution for Science
Washington, DC
Lowest Rated
Progressive Policy Institute
Washington, DC
Single Country Support Organizations
Highest Rated
The Citizens Foundation, USA
Schaumburg, IL
Lowest Rated
Diskin Orphan Home of Israel
Brooklyn, NY
Social Services
Highest Rated
Fisher House Foundation
Rockville, MD
Lowest Rated
Children's Charity Fund, Inc.
Sarasota, FL
Treatment and Prevention Services
Highest Rated
Arlington Free Clinic
South Arlington, VA
Lowest Rated
Planned Parenthood of the Texas Capital Region
Austin, TX
Universities, Graduate Schools, and Technological Institutes
Highest Rated
University of Delaware
Newark, DE
Lowest Rated
Harvard Magazine
Cambridge, MA
Wildlife Conservation
Highest Rated
Big Cat Rescue
Tampa, FL
Lowest Rated
Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary
Indian Shores, FL
Youth Development, Shelter, and Crisis Services
Highest Rated
Mercy Ministries of America
Nashville, TN
Lowest Rated
Police Activities League of Texas
Liberty Hill, TX
Zoos and Aquariums
Highest Rated
Minnesota Zoo Foundation
Apple Valley, MN
Lowest Rated
The Living Desert
Palm Desert, CA
Giving Tips
America's charities, and more importantly, those they serve, need your support. And, as you can tell when you open your mailbox at this time of the year, they aren’t afraid to ask for it. Why do appeals increase at year-end? Because the year-end holidays are a time of religious and moral reflection that inspire many people to reach out to those who are less fortunate. Less altruistically, but still just as important, donors need to make their end-of-year giving decisions by December 31 to qualify for a tax deduction in this calendar year. Knowing that, charities increase their solicitations and an increase in charitable giving occurs between Thanksgiving and New Years.
But your support will do little to improve our world unless we all commit to pursuing responsible and informed philanthropy. We offer the following guidelines to ensure your holiday contributions are well-spent.
Use Charity Navigator’s expanded ratings to gain more knowledge to do more good: Charity Navigator’s newly expanded charity analysis rates a charity’s Financial Health and Accountability & Transparency. It is important to seek out fiscally responsible charities as they are more efficient with donations and have greater flexibility to pursue their goals. And charities that follow good governance and transparency practices are less likely to engage in unethical or irresponsible activities. So, the risk that such charities would misuse donations is lower than for charities that don't adopt such practices.
Dig beyond storytelling to look for evidence of results: Heartwarming stories often motivate donors to give. But smart donors look beyond inspirational anecdotes and seek out evidence of the overall results of a charity’s work. You can learn about a charity’s results by reviewing its website and/or talking with staff. They should be able to tell you more than just the number of activities or people served and speak to the quality and depth of their results (for example, not just whether someone got a job but for how long) as well as their capacity to continue to get these results. This is critical step, after all, the charity’s ability to bring about long lasting and meaningful change in the world should be the key reason for your donation.
Check the charity’s programs to ensure its efforts truly match your philanthropic passions: There are a lot of misconceptions among donors about the programs and services that their donations fund. For example, a donor might want to help fund a cure for cancer. The donor selects and funds a charity and then is dismayed to find out that the charity’s programs have nothing to do with research for a cure, but are instead focused on advocating for legislation to pay for patient’s care. This common mistake is easily remedied by doing a little bit of research before writing that check. To ensure that the charity’s work is aligned with your philanthropic interests, visit the charity’s website, check its Form 990 or call their office to learn about their primary programs and services.
Skip the gala and write a check: Special events, such as galas and golf outings, are notoriously inefficient ways to raise money for a charity. Not only are these events outright costly (invitations, catering, entertainment and so on), but planning a fancy ball often diverts staff time away from the charity’s mission. So if you really want to help fund a charity’s operations, then stay home, reheat your leftovers and write a big check directly to the charity.
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=521&utm_source=EmailDirect.com&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Nov+2011+Newsletter+Campaign
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