I have been getting swamped with mail from charities trying to get me to donate to them. I know there are good charities and not-so-good charities. My general rule is to not donate money to anyone who asks for money. With that said, what is a good way to check on a charity to see how the money is used and to see if it may be a charity I might want to donate to?
This is what I have done to avoid getting on the mailing lists of charities. I previously used a Donor Advised Fund. You can check a box on the financial institution form to make your donation anonymous. Since reaching RMD age I have been doing Qualified Charitable Distributions. I write on the form that accompanies the check that I want my name to remain anonymous; not to be placed on the charities mailing list and not to be included by the charity on any published list of donors
As mentioned. Charity Navigator is a great place to start. Also, there are a couple other resources that may be helpful here. How To Choose the Best Charities for Your Donations
I would ignore any and all uninvited solicitations. If you would like to donate, start locally. Most cities/counties have organizations such as United Way that collect donations centrally and then award annual gifts to local qualified charities.
I happen to donate to my church because they have a transparent budget and I’m happy with how donations are used. I also donate to another church in town that has a large support ministry for unsheltered individuals. Beyond that I donate to some national nonprofit organizations that I’m a member of, and things like public radio.
Again, I don’t respond to any unsolicited requests. I proactively do my own research and choose my charities - they don’t choose me.