Charity Navigator Asks Have You Ever Followed Up on Your Donations?

After making a donation, have you ever followed up to see the impact your gift had?

According to a survey conducted by Software Advice on how American donors wanted charities to engage after a donation, “An overwhelming number of survey respondents (60 percent) wanted to receive impact and success stories to show how their contributions were put to use. Seeing how their donations were used within an organization and the resulted outcome encourages donors to give again.”

Charity Navigator's Post-#GivingTuesday Breakdown

With yet another #GivingTuesday behind us and Giving Season starting to ramp up, the Charity Navigator team wanted to share some of the great generosity of our site users and highlight some of the data we collected yesterday.

Charity Navigator Celebrates #GivingTuesday

This year’s #GivingTuesday, on November 28th, 2017, will mark the sixth year of the movement! Since the inaugural #GivingTuesday in 2012, the global day of giving has taken its place alongside Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, empowering individuals and organizations around the world to bring about the change they wish to see. The end of the calendar year has always been a busy time for charitable giving, but the #GivingTuesday movement has amplified the effects of giving season.

5 Reasons Monthly Giving Rocks!

Nonprofits rely on their donors to provide them with the funding that they need to deliver on their missions. It is no secret that the vast majority of donations are made during giving season, the last few weeks of the calendar year when most people sit down to make their annual charitable contributions. However, there are many benefits in setting yourself up as a monthly donor to a cause that you believe in. Here are 5 reasons that monthly giving rocks:

Charity Navigator: The Gift that Keeps Giving — Books!

As the holiday season approaches, many of us are thinking of ways to give back and help our communities. Fortunately, there are many simple ways to give back and make a difference. Donating useful items that you already have, like books, is a great way to start.

Charity Navigator Answers "Should I Donate Cash or Clothes?"

An important thing to remember before donating is that different types of donations are useful in different situations. This is especially true when thinking about donating money versus clothes.

Do Mo' Good in Movember

Since its origin in 2003, when two friends decided to challenge themselves and others to grow mustaches, the Movember movement, and the Movember Foundation (☆☆☆), has blossomed into one of the most prominent faces of men's health on a global scale. Realizing the power of a moustache to start a conversation, the Movember Foundation has been challenging people to grow out their facial hair in the month of November and to use that process as a way to start conversations regarding men's health issues and raise funds to help organizations that fight prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and suicide.

Charity Navigator Highlights Charities For Adoption Awareness Month

Adoption Awareness Month is a time to promote awareness of the need for adoptive families for children in the foster care system. In 1990, after several decades of Adoption Week across the country, the week became a month.There are over 110,000 children who are available for adoption in the U.S. foster care system. More children enter the system every year than are adopted, and tens of thousands of children will never be adopted — leaving the system without families.

Cash Back for Good: How to Donate Your Credit Card Rewards to Charity

This guest post was written by Ashley Dull, our friend at CardRates.com.

Although cash back rewards are one of the most compelling reasons to use your credit card for everyday purchases, a shocking 31% of cardholders let those rewards sit fallow. With over a billion credit cards in the US alone, and the best cash back credit cards offering up to 5% back, that 31% figure could translate to millions of dollars’ worth of unused rewards going to waste.

Rather than letting those points or miles gather digital dust, some cardholders choose to use their credit card rewards to make a difference — by donating them to a worthy charity.

Charity Navigator Recognizes World Kindness Day

Introduced in 1998, World Kindness Day is a day set apart to highlight little works of kindness in our communities. Initiated by the World Kindness Movement, a coalition of grassroots organizations in countries around the world, this day is a time for us to look past our differences and remember what it is to be a good neighbor. The Movement believes kindness has the power to break barriers and bridge the things that divide us.

If you don’t have plans to participate in a World Kindness Day activity, consider using our Advanced Search Tool to find and support a charity spreading kindness in your community.

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 >>

Happy Veterans Day from Charity Navigator

Some of us are fortunate enough to live in towns where Veterans Day is a holiday. Not just a bank holiday, but actually a day that’s uniquely different from every other day. A day of somber remembrance and joyful celebration of what that sacrifice enables. I’m grateful that I live in one of those towns.

Food for Thought: Charity Navigator Talks Supporting Your Local Food Bank

With the Thanksgiving season just around the corner many of us are already planning our holiday meals. Our tables will be piled high with turkeys, corn, potatoes and yams, green bean casseroles, and too many desserts to count.

This year, while you’re sitting with family and re-counting your blessings, take a moment to consider the meal in front of you. A plate full of food is something many of us take for granted, but, for millions of Americans, a daily meal is not a promise. Food banks and pantries across the country work to close this gap, but they need our help. Ensure your gift does the most good for the less fortunate in your community by taking a moment to review these simple tips:

Charity Navigator Highlights Top Charities For Alzheimer's Awareness Month

For those who don’t know, November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. Back in 1983 President Ronald Reagan declared November as National Alzheimer’s Month.  Alzheimer’s disease affects millions of individuals and their families who try their best to cope with the effect Alzheimer’s has on them.  Here at Charity Navigator we rate several organizations that are working to combat this disease— whether it is hosting a race for a cure to fund research into the cause and prevention of Alzheimer’s, or funding immediate support for individuals living with the disease.  To help support the fight against Alzheimer’s, here are a few highly-rated organizations you can find on Charity Navigator:

Charity Navigator Talks How To Spot That Fake Charity

Especially in times of disaster and at the end of the year, individuals are more susceptible to receive asks from fake charities hoping to profit off of the generosity of your gift. Before giving to any charity, doing your research is the most important step to take to ensure that your dollar will be used well and will go to help the most people (or animals) in need. Charity Navigator has some tips that you should keep in mind before donating, especially if you think you’re looking at a fake charity.

Charity Navigator Reviews Most Popular Giving Basket Charities

Did you know that Charity Navigator’s Giving Basket allows you to easily review any American charity and make a donation in just a few simple steps? We launched the Giving Basket two years ago and, to date, more than 75,000 individuals have used it to donate over $28,000,000 to 12,460 charities! Today we’re taking a moment to highlight the most popular Giving Basket charities (those that have received the most in total donated dollars). Is your favorite on this list?

Charity Navigator Highlights Charities for National Diabetes Awareness Month

Did you know that more than 30 million Americans have diabetes? And it is estimated that several million more have not yet been diagnosed. In addition to its symptoms, complications of this disease can include eye problems, blindness, amputations, kidney disease, and heart disease, which is why there are many organizations committed to bringing awareness to this important cause and, ultimately, finding a cure.

Should You Text Your Donation?

Through many of the disasters in the last few months, you’ve most likely seen or heard about different ways to give a monetary donation to aid victims. And you’ve probably noticed that both your friends and the organizations you support are using social media, like Facebook and Twitter, to send a text to a number, which claims to send money directly to a charity.

But, it’s important to understand how text donations work.