A lot of people are interested in giving something to charity when they are making plans for the future. One of the things that you want to consider to this end is going to be how well the charitable cause utilizes the resources that they have. You may have heard stories about some charities having very high administrative costs including very significant salaries paid to executives.
Some people have no problem supporting top-heavy charities, but there are others who would prefer to contribute to charitable organizations that keep their overhead low so that the cause in question receives optimal support. The question is, how do you obtain detailed information about the inner workings of charitable organizations before you make donations?
Since we live in the information age the Internet is a source of a lot of good information and there is an excellent online resource that exists to assist people who are interested in putting charitable organizations under the microscope. CharityNavigator.org has compiled an extraordinary database that provides detailed information on hundreds upon hundreds of different charitable organizations.
They utilize a star rating system to provide visitors with a quick “at a glance” idea of how well each charitable organization is being run. If you want to analyze the specifics you could dig deeper and examine financial performance as well as transparency and accountability metrics.
In addition to being able to look into a charity or charities that you are already aware of, you can research charities that exist by category if you choose to do so in an effort to gain a broader understanding of your options.
Once you identify the causes that you would like to support, you are going to have to add a charitable giving component to your estate plan. There are various charitable giving vehicles that can be utilized, and the best choice will vary depending on the specifics of a given situation. If you are interested in examining your options, take action right now and arrange for a consultation with a licensed estate planning attorney.
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