Tips for Giving This Holiday Season
Charity Navigator offers the following guidelines to ensure your holiday contributions are well-spent.
- Ensure the charity is efficient, ethical and effective
- Hang up the phone
- Give without strings attached
- Find the perfect fit
- Don't forget 'non-Sandy' charities
Year-End Giving Survey
To gain a better understanding of giving trends for the 2012 year-end giving season, we recently ran two surveys: one targeted at donors and one for charity representatives. Our survey explored the:
- Predictions for year-end giving (will it be greater, less than or the same as last year)
- Importance of year-end donations and online giving to the charities’ bottom line
- Issues that are most important in selecting a charity
Our findings may surprise you! Review the Results Now
Giving Facts
- Contributions are deductible in the year made. Thus, donations charged to a credit card before the end of 2012 count for 2012. This is true even if the credit card bill isn't paid until 2013. Also, checks count for 2012 as long as they are mailed in 2012 and clear, shortly thereafter.
- Network for Good reported that the average donation amount is much higher during the Holiday Season: in December 2010, the average gift was $142 versus an average of $91 for the year.
- The average American gives 4.7% of their income to charities.
- The average person makes 24% of their annual donations between Thanksgiving and New Year's, according to research from the Center on Philanthropy.
- By November 2, 2012, charities raised more than $174 million for Hurricane Sandy relief and recovery efforts.
- On Tuesday November 27, 2012 charities, families, businesses and individuals came together to create a new holiday tradition. This movement, called #GivingTuesday, aims to set aside a day dedicated to giving, similar to how Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become days that are synonymous with holiday shopping.
Top 10 List Expanded
Highest and Lowest-Rated Charities by Cause
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.
View the List
Video: Tips for Choosing a Charity
Support Our Work
We work hard for you all year long so we hope you'll include us in your year-end giving plans.
Help Other Donors Give Wisely!
Write a review about a nonprofit you know.
Did you know that donations increase dramatically during the last 2 months of the year? Help us inform other donors about which charities they should support by sharing information about which ones you give to and why (or why not).
