2007 Charities Guide by NAVS (pdf file)

Many people do not realize when they donate to a health charity, they may be helping to fund animal experiments that have little to do with helping those in need. Charitiesinfo.org seeks to promote informed giving to make good sound, compassionate giving choices.

Check out your favorite charities, their financial activities and salaries with a quick click on the links below.

USA www.give.org

UK http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/registeredcharities/search.asp?position=1&oparea=S

To view Charitiesinfo.org's online giving guide, request a guide by mail and find out more about compassionate giving, visit www.charitiesinfo.org

Easy to use resource for charities' performance is Charity Navigator  http://www.charitynavigator.org/ . It allows you to browse by category, or you can type the name of the charity you want to investigate in the search box. It shows you easy to read page with expenses breakdown graph, revenues, net assets and salaries.

Another resource, BBB Wise Giving Alliance, http://www.give.org/
"'reports on nationally soliciting charitable organizations that are the subject of donor inquiries. These reports include an evaluation of the subject charity in relation to the voluntary BBB charity standards. The BBB Wise Giving Alliance offers guidance to donors on making informed giving decisions through our charity evaluations, various "tips" publications, and publishes the quarterly Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Guide."

The most detailed and revealing site is GuideStar It!  http://www.guidestar.org/ . It offers IRS tax returns where you can find detailed information about program expenses, donors, assets and salaries for the last few years. It requires you to register for free basic account, but the few minutes required to register are worth it considering the wealth of information on this site. If you choose to go with paid premium subscription, you will get access to extra features:
"1) People search gives you the ability to search 3.3 million individuals by name and get titles, compensation, and more.
2) Download information to build customized lists, compare financials, benchmark, and more on up to 5,000 organizations a month (Excel compatible)."