Charitable giving increased by 4% in 2021 compared to 2020. Americans gave a staggering $484.85 billion total, 67% of which was from individual donors. Though generosity is always commendable, current donation increases are unfortunately unable to keep up with inflation. There’s still plenty of time to give this year, though, and a significant portion of all charitable donations are usually made in the month of December.
There is no shortage of noble causes in need of support this year, especially considering the devastating impact of high inflation on many individuals’ and organizations’ finances. No one wants their money to go to waste, though, so it’s fair to wonder which charities will make the best use of your donations.
To help you maximize your impact without jeopardizing your financial health, WalletHub compared more than 200 of the most prominent U.S. charities based on their financial performance, transparency and popularity. We also identified the best organization to donate to for each of the most popular causes.
Here are the best charities to donate to:
Best For… | Charity Name | WalletHub Score (out of 100) |
---|---|---|
Human Services | Rotary Foundation of Rotary International | 100 |
Animals | Animal Welfare Institute | 97 |
Veterans | Fisher House Foundation | 93 |
International Affairs | World Resources Institute | 98 |
Health | Semper Fi & America's Fund | 97 |
Education | DonorsChoose.org | 93 |
Disaster Relief | All Hands and Hearts | 97 |
Environmental Protection | Sierra Club Foundation | 90 |
Child-Abuse Prevention | National Center for Missing & Exploited Children | 85 |
Community Development | Gary Sinise Foundation | 95 |
Hunger | World Central Kitchen | 98 |
Homelessness | National Alliance to End Homelessness | 86 |
Religion-Related | Samaritan's Purse | 85 |
Social Advocacy | Equal Justice Initiative | 99 |
Diversity | Hispanic Federation | 96 |
Below, you can learn more about how to choose the best charity for your holiday donation as well as how to do the most good on a limited budget. You can also take a closer look at criteria we used to select 2023’s top charities in the Methodology section that follows.
How To Choose A Charity
- Find A Cause First: It’s not about the charity but rather the work that it does. You should make a list of the causes you care about most before researching specific organizations involved in that area. This will help you avoid losing the forest for the trees, emphasizing the beneficiary over the conduit.
- Ask For Recommendations: People trust reviews from friends and family above all else, so ask your social network for some charitable suggestions. You may even want to ask subject-matter experts for their thoughts. For example, your veterinarian could suggest a good animal-related charity, and an environmental scientist at your local university could suggest a climate-oriented organization. All of their experiences and viewpoints will undoubtedly help you make a better choice.
- Do Your Research: It’s always important to do your due diligence before spending money with a company, professional or nonprofit for the first time. Check your chosen charity’s website, see how it’s being covered in the press and look into its financials. In particular, check how much of the organization’s funds are being used for its stated cause compared to marketing and administrator salaries.
- Spread The Love: You don’t have to pick just one charity. Donations are kind of like crowdfunding in the sense that a lot of people giving small amounts leads to relatively large sums at the end of the day. Don’t try to solve one problem all by yourself – consider giving small amounts to numerous charities in order to help address the various issues that you care about.
5 Tips For A Successful Donation
You don’t need to do much to make an impact on a worthy cause. But keeping the following pointers in mind will help you and your charity of choice make the most out of your good deed.
- Have A Budget: It is indeed possible to be too generous. Donating more than you can afford will only hurt your finances, making it more difficult to give back in the future. That means overdoing it now could reduce your overall giving.
Consider your holiday gift-giving budget and your other financial obligations to determine how much you can comfortably afford to do without. It’s fine if you can’t give much. Every little bit helps, and something is always better than nothing when it comes to charity.
- Decide On Itemized Deductions: Rationalizing a donation with the potential tax benefits doesn’t make much sense if you aren’t going to itemize your deductions. Therefore, make a decision about that now, and remove taxes from your thought process if you’ll be taking the standard deduction. You can check out our Tax Tips for more insight into making these sorts of choices.
- Consider Processing Fees: Making a donation by credit card is a great way to earn rewards while giving back. For example, you could earn $20 by making a $1,000 donation with a card offering 2% back, whether in the form of cash, points or miles.
Many organizations charge a processing fee for credit card donations, though. That can erode, or perhaps even eliminate, your earnings if it isn’t tax-deductible, so make sure to check.
See 2022's Best Rewards Credit Cards
- Earmark Funds For Something Specific: The more you donate, the more control you’ll be able to exert over how the funds are used. If you want your donation to be used to improve the conditions of the cages in an animal shelter rather than administrators’ salaries or marketing, for example, inquire with your organization of choice about the possibility of designating a donation for something specific. If they say it’s not possible, take your donation elsewhere (or at least make clear that you’re willing to).
- Don’t Forget About Goods & Services: You don’t have to give money to make a difference. You can also donate clothing, food and even your time. A lot of people actually wonder whether it’s better to donate time or money, and we have a handy calculator that can help you make that decision based on your personal situation.
Scores For All Charities, By Category
Charitable Organization | WalletHub Score (out of 100) |
---|---|
ANIMAL-RELATED | |
Animal Welfare Institute | 97 |
Center for Biological Diversity | 95 |
PetSmart Charities | 89 |
WildAid | 88 |
K9s For Warriors | 84 |
Wildlife Conservation Society | 84 |
Trout Unlimited (National Office) | 83 |
American Bird Conservancy | 80 |
American Humane | 79 |
Humane Farming Association | 78 |
Marine Mammal Center | 78 |
African Wildlife Foundation | 70 |
National Wildlife Federation | 70 |
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation | 65 |
Born Free USA united with Animal Protection Institute | 57 |
Performing Animal Welfare Society | 53 |
CIVIL RIGHTS, SOCIAL ACTION, ADVOCACY | |
Equal Justice Initiative | 99 |
Trevor Project | 90 |
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Foundation | 85 |
Common Cause Education Fund | 83 |
Center for Constitutional Rights | 77 |
Compassion & Choices | 77 |
Death with Dignity National Center | 75 |
Children's Defense Fund | 67 |
Center for Reproductive Rights | 63 |
Committee to Protect Journalists | 63 |
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund | 58 |
Native American Rights Fund | 21 |
COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT, CAPACITY BUILDING | |
Hispanic Federation | 96 |
Center for Community Change | 70 |
Food Bank For New York City | 66 |
Hadassah | 57 |
Operation Homefront | 43 |
DISEASES, DISORDERS, MEDICAL DISCIPLINES | |
American Kidney Fund | 88 |
American Lung Association | 82 |
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network | 78 |
MiracleFeet | 75 |
National Federation of the Blind | 70 |
National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund | 66 |
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society | 64 |
Crohn's & Colitis Foundation | 63 |
JDRF International | 63 |
National Kidney Foundation | 63 |
Prevent Blindness | 60 |
American Heart Association | 40 |
American Cancer Society | 30 |
Breast Cancer Prevention Partners | 22 |
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND RELATED ACTIVITIES | |
Tunnel to Towers Foundation | 98 |
DonorsChoose.org | 93 |
Hispanic Scholarship Fund | 88 |
Scholarship America | 83 |
Step Up for Students | 51 |
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, PROTECTION AND BEAUTIFICATION | |
Environmental Working Group | 90 |
Sierra Club Foundation | 90 |
Waterkeeper Alliance | 87 |
Conservation Fund | 85 |
Earth Island Institute | 85 |
Earthjustice | 80 |
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) | 80 |
Conservation International Foundation | 79 |
350.org | 75 |
Oceana | 75 |
American Forests | 73 |
American Rivers | 73 |
Alaska Conservation Foundation | 60 |
Environmental Defense Fund | 59 |
Rainforest Action Network | 59 |
Appalachian Mountain Club | 48 |
Trust for Public Land | 48 |
Environmental Defense Action Fund | 35 |
National Park Trust | 45 |
Keep America Beautiful (National Office) | 33 |
FOOD, AGRICULTURE AND NUTRITION | |
Feeding America | 85 |
City Harvest | 76 |
Farm Aid | 68 |
Food and Water Watch | 28 |
HEALTH - GENERAL AND REHABILITATIVE | |
Semper Fi & America's Fund | 97 |
Bob Woodruff Family Foundation | 85 |
Population Action International | 85 |
Partners In Health | 83 |
Fistula Foundation | 75 |
American Sexual Health Association | 40 |
Planned Parenthood Federation of America | 40 |
City of Hope & Affiliates | 33 |
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center | 43 |
National Jewish Health | 41 |
HOUSING, SHELTER | |
Homes For Our Troops | 79 |
HUMAN SERVICES - MULTIPURPOSE AND OTHER | |
Unbound | 87 |
Wounded Warriors Family Support | 83 |
GiveDirectly | 81 |
The Y (National Office) | 79 |
Episcopal Relief & Development | 77 |
CEDARS | 75 |
American Red Cross | 75 |
Armed Services YMCA of the USA | 70 |
charity: water | 70 |
National Urban League (National Office) | 67 |
Covenant House & Affiliates | 63 |
Bowery Residents' Committee (BRC) | 50 |
Arc of the United States (National Office) | 42 |
Wounded Warrior Project | 30 |
Innocence Project | 14 |
INTERNATIONAL, FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND NATIONAL SECURITY | |
Rotary Foundation of Rotary International | 100 |
World Central Kitchen | 98 |
World Resources Institute | 98 |
Direct Relief & Direct Relief Foundation | 93 |
Action Against Hunger-USA | 92 |
Alight | 88 |
Fòs Feminista | 85 |
Pearl S. Buck International | 85 |
CARE USA | 85 |
Doctors Without Borders USA | 85 |
FAIR | 85 |
American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) | 83 |
Union of Concerned Scientists | 83 |
Feed My Starving Children | 82 |
One Acre Fund | 82 |
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee | 81 |
Children Incorporated | 80 |
Save the Children | 80 |
United States Fund for UNICEF | 80 |
World Vision | 80 |
Global Fund for Women | 79 |
Children International | 78 |
Human Rights First | 78 |
International Medical Corps | 78 |
Bread for the World Institute | 77 |
Medical Teams International | 77 |
Church World Service | 76 |
The Hunger Project | 76 |
HealthRight International | 75 |
World Neighbors | 75 |
Compassion International | 75 |
International Rescue Committee | 75 |
Friends of the Israel Defense Forces | 74 |
Asia Foundation | 73 |
Water.org | 73 |
HIAS | 72 |
Helen Keller International | 70 |
Operation USA | 70 |
PCI-Media Impact | 70 |
Population Council | 70 |
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) | 70 |
New Israel Fund | 67 |
American Jewish World Service | 66 |
Lutheran World Relief | 66 |
Global Communities | 65 |
TechnoServe | 65 |
ChildFund International | 63 |
Mercy Corps | 63 |
Ploughshares Fund | 61 |
EngenderHealth | 57 |
AmeriCares Foundation | 56 |
Oxfam-America | 55 |
Women for Women International | 54 |
Central Asia Institute | 52 |
International Planned Parenthood Federation-Western Hemisphere Region (IPPFWHR) | 51 |
Feed the Children | 48 |
Thousand Currents | 45 |
Good 360 | 45 |
Brother's Brother Foundation | 45 |
Operation Blessing International Relief & Development | 45 |
Physicians for Social Responsibility (National Office) | 40 |
Seva Foundation | 40 |
Amnesty International of the USA | 40 |
Grameen Foundation USA | 37 |
Habitat for Humanity International | 35 |
Opportunity International | 48 |
FINCA International | 31 |
International Peace Institute | 36 |
MEDICAL RESEARCH | |
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation | 87 |
Hearing Health Foundation | 86 |
Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research | 85 |
Cancer Research Institute | 82 |
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation | 82 |
Parkinson's Foundation | 80 |
Lupus Research Alliance | 78 |
Breast Cancer Research Foundation | 77 |
Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation | 67 |
Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) | 57 |
Prevent Cancer Foundation | 55 |
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute | 54 |
MENTAL HEALTH, CRISIS INTERVENTION | |
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention | 84 |
Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) | 83 |
NAMI | 79 |
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) | 78 |
Partnership to End Addiction | 38 |
PHILANTHROPY, VOLUNTARISM AND GRANTMAKING FOUNDATIONS | |
Gary Sinise Foundation | 95 |
Comic Relief | 90 |
Hope For The Warriors | 81 |
Entertainment Industry Foundation | 80 |
Marine Toys for Tots Foundation | 78 |
Sunshine Foundation (National Office) | 70 |
Prostate Cancer Foundation | 68 |
Bend the Arc - A Jewish Partnership for Justice | 66 |
Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance | 62 |
Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund | 57 |
PUBLIC, SOCIETY BENEFIT - MULTIPURPOSE AND OTHER | |
National Military Family Association | 83 |
Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society | 37 |
RELIGION-RELATED, SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT | |
Samaritan's Purse | 85 |
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital | 40 |
Cross International | 30 |
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT | |
Girls Incorporated (National Office) | 82 |
National 4-H Council | 75 |
Boys & Girls Clubs of America (National Office) | 68 |
Partnership for a Healthier America | 42 |
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTES, SERVICES | |
Amazon Conservation Team | 80 |
Salk Institute for Biological Studies | 80 |
RECREATION, SPORTS, LEISURE, ATHLETICS | |
National Forest Foundation | 83 |
Goodwill Industries International (National Office) | 53 |
PUBLIC SAFETY, DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND RELIEF | |
All Hands and Hearts | 97 |
Team Rubicon | 88 |
EMPLOYMENT, JOB-RELATED | |
Mission Continues | 61 |
CRIME, LEGAL-RELATED | |
Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) | 98 |
LatinoJustice PRLDEF | 85 |
ARTS, CULTURE AND HUMANITIES | |
Metropolitan Museum of Art | 45 |
Japan Society | 13 |
SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH INSTITUTES, SERVICES | |
Population Connection | 50 |
UNCATEGORIZED | |
National Women's Law Center | 94 |
Fisher House Foundation | 93 |
Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International | 88 |
United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) | 87 |
Friends of Animals | 86 |
National Alliance to End Homelessness | 86 |
Starlight Children's Foundation (National Office) | 86 |
Diabetes Action Research and Education Foundation | 85 |
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children | 85 |
NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation (National Office) | 84 |
Earthworks | 83 |
National Council on Aging | 83 |
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America (National Office) | 82 |
Guttmacher Institute | 80 |
Brain & Behavior Research Foundation | 79 |
Catholic Relief Services | 79 |
Mental Health America (MHA) | 78 |
Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind | 76 |
Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice | 75 |
Coalition for the Homeless | 75 |
Huntington's Disease Society of America | 71 |
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger | 70 |
Autism Society of America (National Office) & Foundation | 70 |
GLAAD | 70 |
American Liver Foundation | 68 |
National Hemophilia Foundation (National Office) | 65 |
National Psoriasis Foundation | 62 |
American Brain Tumor Association | 61 |
Nature Conservancy | 60 |
Children's Health Fund | 50 |
Legal Momentum | 50 |
Prevent Child Abuse America (National Office) | 48 |
Population Services International | 56 |
Child Find of America | 55 |
Ronald McDonald House Charities (National Office) | 55 |
National Park Foundation (NPF) | 25 |
Action on Smoking and Health | 20 |
Make-A-Wish Foundation of America | 20 |
Ask the Experts
In search of additional information to inform your charitable giving, WalletHub posed the following questions to a panel of experts. You can check out their bios and responses below.
- What is the biggest mistake that people make when donating to charity?
- What red flags should people look for before donating money to a charitable organization?
- What is your favorite charity and why? // Why should someone donate to your charity?
- What are the biggest challenges facing US-based charities in the current economic environment?
Ask the Experts
Ph.D. – Associate Professor, School of Public, Nonprofit and Health Administration – Grand Valley State University
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Adjunct Professor of Social Welfare – UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and Professor of Sociology – Hertie School in Berlin, Germany
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Ph.D., MBA, M.Ed. – Assistant Professor of Business – Penn State University
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Ph.D., – Chair of Public Policy and Director of the Institute for Business, Government and Society, Professor of Management, Department of Management, Saunders College of Business – Rochester Institute of Technology
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Khaled and Olfat Juffali Director of the Social Impact Lab; Lecturer of Human Services, Saunders College of Social Sciences and Humanities – Northeastern University
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Director, Indiana Nonprofits Project Distinguished Professor, O’Neill School of Public & Environmental Affairs – Indiana University Bloomington
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Methodology
To identify the year’s best charities for holiday giving, WalletHub evaluated more than 200 of the highest-ranked U.S.-based charities, according to CharityWatch and Charity Navigator. In the interest of promoting goodwill and spreading holiday cheer during what should be a merry time of year, we did not consider nonprofit organizations with an obvious political affiliation or those focused primarily on a politically divisive issue.
Using the grading rubric listed below, we scored each organization for which ratings were available from both sources from 0 to 100, with 100 being the most trustworthy with your money. Based on the resulting final scores, we selected winners for some of the biggest categories of charitable giving.
CharityWatch Grade (40 points max)
- A+ = 40 points
- A = 35 points
- A- = 30 points
- B+ = 25 points
- B = 20 points
- B- = 15 points
- C+ = 10 points
- C = 5 points
- Below C- = 0 points
Charity Navigator Score (40 points max)
- 97% - 100% = 40 points
- 93% - 96.99% = 35 points
- 90% - 92.99% = 30 points
- 87% - 89.99% = 25 points
- 83% - 86.99% = 20 points
- 80% - 82.99% = 15 points
- 75% - 79.99% = 10 points
- 70% - 74.99% = 5 points
- Below 70% = 0 points
Program Expenses Score* (15 points)
- 85%+ = 15 points
- 75% - 84.99% = 10 points
- 65% - 74.99% = 5 points
- Below 65% = 0 points
*Reflects the percentage of an organization’s total expenses that are used for its stated cause.
Organization Popularity Score (5 points max)
- 500K+ Facebook Likes: 5 points
- 300K – 499K Facebook Likes: 4 points
- 100K – 299K Facebook Likes: 3 points
- 50K – 99K Facebook Likes: 2 points
- 25K – 49K Facebook Likes: 1 point
- Fewer Than 25K Facebook Likes: 0 points