Confused about where to donate?

So are we. There are thousands of charities out there that legitimately need money -- but which ones are putting the money to good use? It's easy to get lost in mission statements and hubris. Instead, what we need are reputable sources of information that clearly explain how to give money to a cause, and which organizations deserve it.

Helping a Cause

The following articles were written by people we trust -- people who have been working for years in the area they're writing about, and who understand the lay of the land. If you have an unbiased, expert opinion to contribute, please see the Contribute page.

• Renewable Energy: This page is designed to help the layperson learn the basics necessary to make informed decisions about how best to support the development and spread of renewable energy, and to explore the frontiers of the fast moving solar, wind, biomass, and wave energy fields.
• How you can help the victims of Hurricanes: Provides basic background information on how best to help, with links to 15 relevant Charities. Alternatively, there is a similar resource from Charitable Choices and a more comprehensive list of organizations from CNN.
• Child victims of war: Over 80% of war casualties are civilians - mainly women and children. These organizations aim to save and rehabilitate the children who are subjected to the horrors or war.
• Sudan: Civil conflict in Sudan has led to an estimate 300,000 deaths in the last three years, and more than 1.8 million people have been displaced from their homes. These organizations are working to restore peace to the area.
• Conservation: It may come as a suprise that in the U.S., the most successful environmental organizations are often relatively little-known, under-the-radar groups. Here you'll find ten hidden gems that are poised to change the world.

How to Give

This section is still being written. If you know about the tax structure of giving, or the different ways to give (funds, direct giving, bonds), Contribute your knowledge and help other people give! How to give

Online Sources of Information

We've found the following sites to contain reliable information:

• Charity Navigator: A "Guide to intelligent giving", Charity Navigator provides good background information on a few thousand charities, including CEO salary, expense breakdown, and efficiency ratings.
• Charitable Choices: A list of 300+ charities, all of which have met the combined federal campaign's 10 accountability standards, including low overhead.
• give.org: The Better Business Bureau's resource for checking out whether a specific organization is reputable or not. Very good if you're considering donating to a specific organization and want to do some background research first.

Contribute your Expertise!

We are looking for experts to help write and moderate the information on this website. Do you know a lot about the hurricane relief efforts and the organizations trying to help? Are you an expert in renewable energy, with inside knowledge about which groups are doing what? If you know a lot about a specific area of charity, and want to contribute an impartial, accurate, and reasonably comprehensive description of that area, we encourage you to do so. More information about contributing can be found on the Contribute page.