[cake_crumb]

Here's a good place to check out charities that have been around a while: charitywatch.org. All they gauge is how much donations make it to those for which they were intended and how well the charitiy appears to follow it's own mission statements.

They give both the Red Cross and Samaritan's Purse a good rating...however, they don't have the International Red Cross on their A-Z listing, so they might not distinguish between the American and International versions of the Red Cross. They give Americares an A rating.

[frank1976]

Great link. Having worked in the sector for a few years, I have experiences both good and bad. While most organizations are filled with people who want to do good, that's not enough. Sometimes the organizational structures are ineffective, top-heavy and obsessed with fund-raising and positive PR (all of which are necessary and positive, but shouldn't overshadow the purpose of the organization). Personally, I donated to Doctors Without Borders.

[lainde]

Thank you for the helpful link. I was dreading sitting down researching all the big charity organizations. All I knew was NO Red Cross!