Again, I am NOT endorsing ARC.
But 15 ~ 20 yeares ago, United Way had the reputation of wasting large percentage of donation to their executives/admin and ‘stars’ for fundraising. IIRC, Red Cross (at the time under Elisabeth Dole) was ‘cleaner’.
Personal donation aside, if you work in the corporate world, there is NO WAY avoiding United Way or Red Cross.
I used to donate each pay period through the United Way. I increased it a $1 each year. Then one year during the solicitation phase, I took a long look at the list of places it was spending my money on.
When I ran into AIDS hostels in highly popular bath house districts, it rubbed me the wrong way. Here I was donating to a concern that was the relief agency for people who continued to participate in risky behaviors despite knowing the risks. This wasn’t the only issue I had with their list of places they disbursed funds to.
If I remember correctly, they also listed a number of agencies that could be grouped together under the heading, “Psycho-babel Related”.
I really didn’t want to support some of the things they did. Perhaps others do.
I think donating to your local church, or local non-profits is the way to go. I also think blind, one on one donations to people you are aware of, is a great way to help others. This can be arranged through a church or another local organization.