November 2000
If you'd like to help others this holiday season, use the Internet to find a charity you believe in.
With the Internet's vast resources at your fingertips, you can quickly research causes that are important to you and choose a charity to help. And if you don't have the time to volunteer, show your generosity by donating online.
  The following sites make it easy to find a charity that you're interested in donating to: The National Charities Information Bureau (NCIB) provides answers about the charities you're considering. The site includes a quick reference guide to over 400 charities, a charity report of the week and links to organizations. Find the NCIB at www.give.org. Guidestar, www.guidestar.org, is a searchable database of over 640,000 nonprofit organizations. Here you can evaluate charities, prepare a giving plan, learn the latest charity news and hook up with online donation services. Another helpful site, www.charitablechoices.org, lists over 240 charities by category. Each has met the Combined Federal Campaign's 10 accountability standards. The site describes these accountability standards, helps you decide which charity to donate to and more. Independent Charities of America at www.independentcharities.org prescreens national and international charities, providing you with a searchable database, categorized organizations and online donation.
For a continually updated guide on giving, go to About.com's Charity on the Net section at http://just.about.com/charity. Instead of a searchable database or general information about the nonprofit organizations, About.com provides articles on different charitable opportunities and how you can help in untraditional ways.
Many charitable organizations still conduct research using animal experimentation, so you may want to check out www.charitiesinfo.org to make sure you feel comfortable donating to a particular charity.
Go to www.bbb.org/reports to access the Better Business Bureau's free Philanthropic Advisory Service Report. It details charities' philosophies, fund-raising methods, sources of funds, fund allocations and more.
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 If you don't have time to do research or volunteer, and want a quick but legit way to donate directly to a well-known charity, try one of these sites. Many of the charities listed below accept online donations. |
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The Muscular Dystrophy Association www.mda.org |
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The American Cancer Society www.cancer.org |
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March of Dimes www.modimes.org |
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Greenpeace www.greenpeace.org |
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Save the Children www.savethechildren.org |
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Habitat for Humanity www.habitat.org |
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United Way www.unitedway.org |
