'Tis the "Wise Giving" Season

Everyone is concerned about getting the best bargains when gift shopping. But getting good value for your charitable donation dollar is just as important—for you and for the people or special causes you want to help. The BBB Wise Giving Alliance, a nonprofit organization formed from the merger of the National Charities Information Bureau and the Council of Better Business Bureaus’ Foundation and its Philanthropic Advisory Service, offers free online "Charity Reports" on hundreds of charitable organizations that solicit nationally or have national or international programs. Charities are selected based upon the volume of donor inquiries. They are evaluated using accountability standards for how they are run, how they advertise and disclose information to the public, and how they spend their money. Another great web site is maintained by Charity Navigator. This independent nonprofit evaluator provides free objective analysis and ratings of 5,000 of America’s largest charities (classified into groups such as environment, arts, animals, and human services), utilizing financial data that the charities are required to provide to the federal government.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat