Check Out Charities on the Go!

Did you know that we have an app for the iPhone and the Android as well as a mobile site? These tools make it easier for you to check charities while on the go - say outside the grocery store when you are asked to support an unfamiliar charity or when you see a poster to sign up for a run/walk for a charity. Check them out and let us know how you use Charity Navigator on the go.

As a 501 (c) (3) organization itself, Charity Navigator depends on public support to help donors make informed choices. Please consider investing in the future of Charity Navigator by making a donation today.  Donate now >>

Top 10 Charity Lists

With ratings of more than 7,000 charities, it can be hard to sort through them all to find the perfect charity that matches your philanthropic passions. That's why we offer a powerful Advanced Search Tool that enables you to search using many different fields of data. And it is also why we publish a variety of Top 10 lists. Those lists included:

• 10 Most Frequently Viewed Charities
• 10 Top-Notch Charities
• 10 Charities Worth Watching
• 10 Celebrity-Related Charities

Visit our site to see these and the rest of our Top 10 Charity Lists.


As a 501 (c) (3) organization itself, Charity Navigator depends on public support to help donors make informed choices. Please consider investing in the future of Charity Navigator by making a donation today.  Donate now >>

Friday's Fabulously Smart Donor

I recently came across a letter to the editor (scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the letter) from a Charity Navigator user. 

Here's what the smart philanthropist said in her letter titled, "How to check into a charity."

The article "AG eyes charities relying on telemarketers" [News, Feb. 27] reported that most money solicited by telemarketers never gets to the charities. I have a simple solution. When called, I politely ask if there is a website where I can make my donation. On occasion, the telemarketer immediately hangs up -- a sure sign that something isn't legitimate.

If I receive the name of the website, I then check with CharityNavigator.org to see if it actually is a charity. I can also see how much of the money donated is for programs rather than fundraising and administration. 

What a smart donor! She got it right. Just hang up phone to avoid the risk that your donation will line the pockets of the for-profit telemarketer rather than the charity you wanted to support in the first place. Then do your due diligence at Charity Navigator and find a great charity worth supporting.


As a 501 (c) (3) organization itself, Charity Navigator depends on public support to help donors make informed choices. Please consider investing in the future of Charity Navigator by making a donation today.  Donate now >>

Results Reporting: Element Four, Constituent Voice

Guest post by David Bonbright, Founder and Chief Executive of Keystone Accountability

It is time for another walk through the new Results Reporting dimension of the Charity Navigator evaluation system, and since this time we are looking at Constituent Voice, element four, Ken Berger (Charity Navigator's President & CEO) has asked me to "take the pen". I am a co-founder of Keystone Accountability, a nonprofit consulting firm specializing in Constituent Voice. We were consultants to Charity Navigator in developing its approach to results reporting.

Read the Full Report



As a 501 (c) (3) organization itself, Charity Navigator depends on public support to help donors make informed choices. Please consider investing in the future of Charity Navigator by making a donation today.  Donate now >>

Featured Charities for St. Patrick's Day

American Ireland Fund

The Irish Repertory Theatre

St. Patrick Center

Greenbelt Alliance

Trinity Center

As a 501 (c) (3) organization itself, Charity Navigator depends on public support to help donors make informed choices. Please consider investing in the future of Charity Navigator by making a donation today.  Donate now >>

March Charity Ratings Update

350+ Charities with New Ratings including:

4-star Fisher House Foundation

4-star NPR

1-star D.E.L.T.A. Rescue (Dedication and Everlasting Love to Animals) 

0-star National Police Defense Foundation

70+ New Charities added including:

4-star Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

3-star The Relief Bus

3-star Adaptive Sports Center

1-star Life Network

As a 501 (c) (3) organization itself, Charity Navigator depends on public support to help donors make informed choices. Please consider investing in the future of Charity Navigator by making a donation today.  Donate now >>

Webinar: An Introduction to Results Reporting

Charity representatives are invited to join us for a webinar introduction to Results Reporting.

When: Monday, April 28 2014 from 2-3 pm Eastern
What: Charity Navigator has developed a new rating dimension - called Results Reporting - that specifically examines how well charities report on their results. In this webinar, we will explain why Charity Navigator developed Results Reporting metrics, introduce the new methodology and explain our process for implementation. Charity representatives will have an opportunity at the end to ask questions.






As a 501 (c) (3) organization itself, Charity Navigator depends on public support to help donors make informed choices. Please consider investing in the future of Charity Navigator by making a donation today.  Donate now >>

Watch Ken Berger on Fox Business News Tonight

Ken Berger, Charity Navigator's President & CEO, will be on the Willis Report tonight at 5 p.m. ET discussing charities that overpay the for-profit telemarketing firms they hire to solicit on their behalf. Tune into Fox Business News to catch the interview and to find out how you can ensure your money doesn't line the pockets of the for-profit firms calling you for a donation. (Spoiler alert - our advice is to Hang Up The Phone!)
See the list of the Top 10 Charities Overpaying their For-Profit Fundraisers



As a 501 (c) (3) organization itself, Charity Navigator depends on public support to help donors make informed choices. Please consider investing in the future of Charity Navigator by making a donation today.  Donate now >>