I'm big on giving.  And for me, it's not just about money.  I'm all about the doing, the helping, the hugging.  But there is only so much time in a day and sometimes it's hard enough to get dinner on the table let alone save the world.  So there's no better way for me to lend that hand than through monetary donations. 

The question I have is, how do I pick an organization that I know is utilizing my dollars to their best advantage instead of blowing them out the window due to some poorly designed and managed administration system or lining the pockets of an executive director?  After painstackingly searching the net for organizations in the US who CoolerChoices would want to partner with, I stumbled across this amazing site that has helped take the uncertainty out of selecting a charity.

Charity Navigator is an online evaluator with a comprehensive database of over 5000 charities.  Using IRS provided financial documents, they rate each charity based on their daily operation expenses, allocation of funds and their ability to continue to provide their services over time.  In addition to listing annual gross and net profits in addition to program and operating expenses, they also note the CEO's salary base; which when comparing a $500,000 salary for one CEO to a $57,000 salary for another - that little bit of information might just tip the scales in the decision making process.  The review section for each charity is also a good way to get different perspectives on a given charity.

Charity Navigator is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization, offering this service free of charge to the users of the web.  You work hard for your money and I know have the best intentions to try to do right in this world.  It's nice to know there is a group watching out for your best interests when it comes to those hard earned donations.