20 Charities You Need to Know About (How to Choose the Right One for You)

You have millions of options when it comes to nonprofits in the US. That’s a blessing and a curse. It’s outstanding that so many charitable organizations exist, but as outstanding as it is, it’s equally overwhelming.

There are over 1.5 million nonprofits in the States, according to the National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS).¹ With few exceptions, giving has been increasing every year since 1977.² Most of that giving comes from individuals, not corporations.³

Americans gave $410 billion to charities in 2017, with 40% of millennials doing so through a monthly giving enrollment.⁴ It’s been shown that you give more throughout the course of a year if you’re enrolled in a giving program, compared to those who give one lump sum each year. Something to think about.

But all of this begs the question: How do we know who to give to?

I’m glad you asked, because that’s exactly what this article is about.

All Charities Are Not Created Equally

There are criteria to help you choose. First, of course, you’ll have to look at what type of cause you want to give to (e.g. hunger, clean water, disaster relief, missions, etc.), and then you’ll have to find a reputable place to give. What do I mean by reputable? I mean a charity who’s a good steward of your money.

Let’s look at The American Red Cross, for example. 91% of the money you donate to them goes to the cause. Where does the other 9% go? To admin costs, fundraising, advertising, and many other fees.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s always best to find a charity that uses as much of each dollar as possible for the cause. That being said, through advertising and fundraising, The American Red Cross has become a gigantic aid to the entire world; it’s now a $3.3 billion organization.

To manage a charity like that, maybe it makes sense that Gail McGovern, Red Cross president and CEO, has earned a $500,000 salary since joining the company in 2008.⁵ Or maybe that bothers you, and you don’t think a charity should pay anyone such a high salary.

These are things you have to determine for yourself. I think there is an argument to be made on both sides.

How Do You Pick a Charity?

Now we’re left with figuring out how to make the decision.

Fortunately, there are many great sources to help you do that.

These five websites are all you need to evaluate charities:

1. Charity Navigator – A source to evaluate charities through browsing or searching for specific charities. They give an overall star rating, as well as a financial score, and a score for accountability and transparency.
2. Charity Watch – Another source to evaluate charities. They don’t simply give automated charity reports, they dive deep into the ins and outs of charities to help you make an informed decision. They use a letter rating system, as opposed to stars.
3. BBB Wise Giving Alliance – The BBB (Better Business Bureau) isn’t just for businesses anymore. This alliances puts together thorough reports of a charity’s spending and activity.
4. Charity Truth – This website is ran more like a blog. They post articles about specific charities and go into detail about their activities. They also have some great lists of charities, broken down by category.
5. GiveWell – They provide summaries and reports on charities from all categories. I always learn something new about a charity I’m researching when I visit GiveWell.

I think it’s awesome that we have so many of these tools today. We’ve come a long way in giving as a country, and technology has aided along the entire journey.

One final resource to figure out about the financial specifics of a charity or nonprofit you want to invest in is ProPublica. They list almost every charity and nonprofit you can think of with a complete financial breakdown for the ones they have on file. Any larger organization will be on here and many smaller ones.

How This List Came to Be

I’ve put in the work to create this list. It took months to compile this article with all of the information on each charity. There are millions of charities for a reason. The needs across the world are great, and it’s not just across the pond. We have plenty of needs right here in the U.S. of A, and many of these charities address those too

Prime example: 42 million Americans are suffering from hunger.⁶ The need for help is real, and we need help in every country, including our own.

I didn’t discriminate based on religious affiliation. I wanted this to be a list of charities doing the most good for the world, regardless of beliefs. Interestingly enough, most of the charities around the world who do the most good are Christian charities. Because most charities are Christian charities. That speaks volumes of Jesus.

I spent time on this list because, while the resources to evaluate a charity are great, I realized that I had a hard time finding where I wanted to put my own money.

As for guidelines, the only driving guideline I used was that at least 80% of the donations must go to the programs, not fundraising or administrative expenses.

On top of my tithe and giving to the church, I wanted to do more. I wanted to put some money into the great causes so many charities stand for. And it all started when I was reading Jesus Among Secular Gods by Ravi Zacharias and Vince Vitale.

So before we get into the list, let me share a quick story that made me angry, and then made me feel guilty, and ultimately changed my thinking on giving.

Would You Choose a Phone or a Life?

In Jesus Among Secular Gods, Vince Vitale shared a story of a man who was faced with a moral dilemma. In this story, a man was walking on a railroad track. He saw a boy who had got his leg caught in the track, and as luck would have it, there was a train heading right towards the boy.

As the man went to save the boy, the man’s phone fell out of his pocket and onto the tracks. There was no time. The man had to make a choice: save the boy, or go back and save his cell phone. He chose his cell phone. The boy was hit by the train.

When the man was later interviewed, the reporter asked him why he chose his phone over a little boy’s life. He said, “because the train would’ve crushed my phone. I didn’t want to have to buy a new one.”

We’re all appalled when we hear this. “How could someone choose a phone over a life?,” we think. But we do it every day. We know how many lives could be saved if we chose to put our $500 into certain organizations, but we still choose to purchase that new iPhone.

I’m not saying this to guilt you. I’m sharing this story because it made me think. Our money really can make a huge difference. A few hundred dollars isn’t much to us, but it could be everything to a starving child or a village without clean water.

Now I feel like one of those infomercials that shows the sad faces of starving children and asks for your money. That’s not my intent. Giving should come from grace, not guilt. But the story does put things into perspective.

We should feel the need to give. Now let’s look at our options.

20 Charities Making a Real Difference

There’s no order to this list, and I intentionally didn’t title this article, “the best” or “the top” charities, because that means something different to all of us. Our personal experiences shape our giving.

For each charity, I will share some facts and information, and then I’ll give you the ranking and evaluation. Finally, I’ve seen too many lists of charities with no links to actually give. So I will include those links as well.

Here are some amazing charities doing some amazing things…

1. Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB)

Location: New York, NY

This was a dream built out of personal tragedy in 1912. After the death of Dr. Paluel Joseph Flagg’s infant daughter, who died from neonatal asphyxia, and the death of his wife,⁷ the dream began to come to life. Over the last 100 years, CMMB has developed into one of the largest charities in the world.

Now CMMB is dedicated to helping the poor, and those marginalized in society, through medical and faith-based solutions. They’ve reached 123 countries to help millions of unprivileged people live healthier lives.⁸

CMMB Operating Expenses

Charity Navigator:

BBB Wise Giving Alliance: Meets All 20 Standards

Give Online

2. Americares

Location: Stamford, CT

Americares has been saving lives and providing healthcare to poor people in 164 countries, sending medicine, doctors and supplies to third-world countries, and even to locations within the United States, for over 40 years. They also provide disaster relief all over the globe.

Americares also focuses on educating health workers to build a stronger healthcare system directly in the areas where the relief is needed. It’s not just an outreach of “showing up,” it’s an outreach of equipping and training so these communities can sustain themselves.

Americares Operating Expenses

Charity Navigator:

BBB Wise Giving Alliance: Meets All 20 Standards

Give Online

3. Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA)

Location: Charlotte, NC

Established in 1950 to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible, this organization provides emotional and spiritual care to people all across the globe. If you didn’t guess, it was established by Billy Graham himself.

The BGEA broadcasts the Hour of Decision radio program, and the My Answer newspaper column, but that’s far from their entire outreach. They share the Good News with the entire world. They also offer discipleship training, and they equip youth leaders from all over the world.

BGEA Operating Expenses

This charity is not rated.⁹

Give Online

4. Samaritan’s Purse

Location: Boone, NC

Following Jesus, and on a mission to “go and do likewise,” Samaritan’s Purse is dedicated to helping those in need, while proclaiming the hope of the Gospel to the world. According to their mission statement, they’re a “nondenominational organization providing physical and spiritual aid to hurting people.”¹⁰ I think their mission statement is both beautiful and helpful to a world in need.

They’re meeting the needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine, while sharing God’s love. You’re donating to the services that go where they’re most needed. These services include personnel, materials, supporting services, buildings, and equipment.

Samaritan’s Purse Operating Expenses

Charity Navigator:

BBB Wise Giving Alliance: Meets All 20 Standards

Give Online

5. Rotary International

Location: Evanston, IL

Rotary gives 91% of your donation to the cause. They’ve been in action for well over 100 years, helping people all over the world by promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, saving mothers and children, supporting education, and growing local economies. They do it all.

With over one million members, Rotary has a hand in almost every country in the world. They’re transforming communities within the United States, and globally, helping families with basic needs.

Rotary Operating Expenses

Charity Navigator:

BBB Wise Giving Alliance: Meets All 20 Standards

Give Online

6. MAP International

Location: Brunswick, GA

Their slogan “Medicine for the World” says a lot about their mission. MAP provides medicine and health supplies to people in need with no discrimination. These life-changing medicines can often literally mean the difference between life and death for people all over the world. In 2018 alone, they helped 13.6 million people. That’s pretty impressive. The donations are definitely making a difference.

The most impressive part of map is that 99.5% of your donation goes directly to their programs. They’re able to deliver so much medicine because pharmaceutical companies donate many of the products they send overseas.

“MAP International has been vitally important in providing us with medicines. We are literally working with life and death situations. Our clinic physicians are ecstatic upon receiving MAP products and the people are especially grateful. You’ve given us great hope.”

Don Jones, Africa Renewal Ministries

MAP Operating Expenses

Charity Navigator:

BBB Wise Giving Alliance: Meets All 20 Standards

Give Online

7. Direct Relief International

Location: Santa Barbara, CA

They work to “equip health professionals in resource-poor communities to meet the challenges of diagnosing and caring for people without regard to politics, religion, or ability to pay.” Direct Relief’s mission is to improve lives. Period. Best of all, over 99% of your money goes to their programs, not admin fees.

They also provide disaster relief around the world, on a daily basis. Direct Relief goes to the most vulnerable countries and communities, especially when highly destructive disasters occur. They respond quickly and efficiently.

Direct Relief Operating Expenses

Charity Navigator:

BBB Wise Giving Alliance: Meets All 20 Standards

Give Online

8. Compassion International

Location: Colorado Spring, CO

Compassion is Christ-centered, church-based, and child-focused — a “three-cord” approach to ministry. And they’ve had the same mindset since they started in 1952. They sponsor 1.9 million children globally. With 7,000 church partners and over 65 years of service, they have a huge reach. When you give to them, you’re helping children in poverty by providing their greatest and most basic needs: food, clean water, medical care, and education.

You can sponsor individual children through Compassion, for around $38/child, and they will show you exactly where your money is going. Even though their administrative costs are higher than many other charities, the money is going to a good place.

Compassion Operating Expenses

Charity Navigator:

BBB Wise Giving Alliance: Meets All 20 Standards

Give Online

9. Lutheran World Relief (LWR)

Location: Baltimore, MD

Founded after the second world war, LWR seeks to aid the entire world. They provide aid in emergencies and help families restore their lives. They partner with communities to build and grow rural economies. And their goal is to break the cycle of poverty, so families and communities can thrive. They’re deeply rooted in their Lutheran theology, and deeply rooted in the idea of spreading God’s love to the world.

An interesting and unique aspect to LWR is that they provide farm animals to families in third-world countries. On their website, you actually have the option to purchase a specific animal for a specific family in need.

LWR Operating Expenses

Charity Navigator:

BBB Wise Giving Alliance: Meets All 20 Standards

Give Online

10. Operation Blessing International (OBI)

Location: Virginia Beach, VA

Founded in 1978, OBI’s mission is to demonstrate God’s love by alleviating human need and suffering, locally and globally. Their programs include disaster relief, medical aid, hunger relief, orphan care, clean water, and community development. They’ve brought their mission to more than 90 countries and to all 50 states in the US.

Despite their 3-star rating from Charity Navigator, OBI’s financials are quite impressive. Almost 99% of your donation will go to their programs. One of my favorite things about OBI is that they don’t just provide the physical needs, but they also provide sustainable solutions by teaching and training the people they help. They’re also committed to actually listening to each community’s need, instead of telling them what they think they need.

OBI Operating Expenses

Charity Navigator:

BBB Wise Giving Alliance: Not listed.

Give Online

11. Advancing Native Missions

Location: Virginia Beach, VA

If you have a heart for missions, ANM may be the charity for you. They seek out, evaluate, and support native missions organizations that have a clear evangelical statement of faith, are open and transparent in their finances, and seek to primarily work among unreached people groups in their region. They use three metrics to determine whether they will work with a specific mission or not.

ANM is not just a charity to donate to, they’re also a place to find mission work. If you or your church have an interest in mission work, ANM will connect you with the most feasible option to serve. They’re changing lives daily by providing missions, thus, connecting missionaries to their calling.

ANM Operating Expenses

Charity Navigator:

BBB Wise Giving Alliance: Meets 18/20 Standards. Not accredited.

Give Online

12. Children’s Hunger Fund (CHF)

Location: Sylmar, CA

One quarter equals one meal. That’s all it takes to provide food to kids who don’t always know where their next meal is coming from. CHF, a Gospel-centered ministry, has been delivering food and providing disaster relief to people in the US, and all over the world, for over 25 years. Food is the most basic of needs. They’re providing food packs to kids, and they’re truly making a difference.

“Since its inception in 1991, CHF has placed a priority on efficiency, transparency and financial accountability, consistently ranking at the top of America’s most cost-effective charities.”¹¹ They’re transparent with their financials, which has now earned them a 4-star rating. The percentage spent directly on their programs is incredibly high, especially for a meal-providing ministry. These types of charities often have much higher admin costs.

CHF Operating Expenses

Charity Navigator:

BBB Wise Giving Alliance: Not listed.

Give Online

13. Doctors Without Borders USA

Location: New York, NY

Since its founding in 1971, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has operated with a fierce—and challenging—commitment to independence, impartiality, and neutrality. They operate in over 65 countries around the world. As medical first responders, their teams of over 42,000 doctors, nurses, and logisticians are often the first on the scene—sometimes arriving in a matter of minutes, to respond to the needs of people whose lives have been upended by emergency and crisis.¹²

I love how transparent they are with their operating expenses, as you’ll see below. They even show the breakdown of where your money goes on their homepage — that’s transparency. Doctors Without Borders isn’t affiliated with any religion or group, they’re totally independent. That makes them more appealing to the non-religious, and I’m all for appealing giving opportunities.

Doctors Without Borders Operating Expenses

Charity Navigator:

BBB Wise Giving Alliance: Meets 14/20 Standards. Not accredited.

Give Online

14. Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

Location: Baltimore, MD

CRS works with organizations around the world to help poor and vulnerable people overcome emergencies, earn a living through agriculture, and access affordable health care. Their mission is rooted in Scripture, and their love for people of all kinds and walks is what drives them to serve all over the world. They take their mission across the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa.

With 93% of your money going to their programs, they have low administrative expenses, and spend a relatively small amount of their funding on advertising. Out of the remaining 7%, much of it is spent on fundraising campaigns.

CRS Operating Expenses

Charity Navigator:

BBB Wise Giving Alliance: Meets All 20 Standards

Give Online

15. WaterAid America

Location: New York, NY

One in nine people don’t have access to clean water, near their home. One in three don’t have access to a decent toilet.¹³ I have a heart for safe-water charities. Water is the most basic need humans have, yet, so many people around the world don’t have access to safe and clean drinking water. This is literally the difference in life and death for so many families. It’s not just drinking water. Clean water is needed for hygiene in general, and not having access to it can cause all kinds of diseases and health problems.

I think WaterAid is an amazing charity, but they honestly barely made the cut, because their operating expenses are fairly high. They spend just over 80% of your money on their programs, but since an additional 10% goes towards fundraising, I think that’s reasonable.

Two other great safe-water charities are charity:water and Splash, but neither of these meet the criteria for this list, since they give less than 80% to their programs. If you’re doing research for a good safe-water charity, I suggest checking these two out as well.

WaterAid Operating Expenses

Charity Navigator:

BBB Wise Giving Alliance: Meets All 20 Standards

Give Online

16. Lifeline Christian Mission

Location: Westerville, OH

Founded in 1980 by Bob and Gretchen DeVoe, Lifeline Christian Mission began serving in Haiti. Today their ministry extends to at least eight nations or people groups, ministering to tens of thousands of people on any given day and engaging thousands of people in Great Commission work weekly. They meet the physical needs of people around the world, while sharing the eternal hope of Christ Jesus, and engaging Christians to live out the Great Commission.

Lifeline provides opportunities to sponsor a child, fund and participate in mission trips, plant churches, build homes, and pack meals. Their administrative expenses are fairly high, at 13%, but overall they still give over 80% of your donation to their programs.

Lifeline Operating Expenses

Charity Navigator:

BBB Wise Giving Alliance: Did not disclose.

Give Online

17. Food for the Poor

Location: Coconut Creek, FL

Food For The Poor, founded in 1982, feeds hundreds of thousands of people each day, has built 124,800 housing units since its inception, and has provided more than $14.3 billion in aid to the poorest of the poor. In addition to feeding millions of the hungry poor, primarily in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America, this interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance.

95% of your money goes directly to their programs, and most of the remaining 5% goes to fundraising. They have an incredible balance of operating expenses. Despite a recent CN Advisory, which they’re currently refuting, their operating expenses are pretty impressive.

Food for the Poor Operating Expenses

Charity Navigator:

BBB Wise Giving Alliance: Meets All 20 Standards

Give Online

18. World Vision

Location: Federal Way, WA

World Vision provides the opportunity to donate directly or to sponsor a child. They’re a global Christian humanitarian organization, and they partner with children, families, and their communities to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. And they’ve been doing it for 70 years. Helping one little girl with $5 in his pocket, Bob Pierce started World Vision. It’s since exploded into a gigantic ministry and charity.

Most of their funds go to their programs, with the second most going to fundraising. Their funds seem to be very reasonable, and well spent. And they go to places that other charities refuse to go, due to the violent nature of certain locations.

World Vision Operating Expenses

Charity Navigator:

BBB Wise Giving Alliance: Meets All 20 Standards

Give Online

19. The A21 Campaign

Location: Costa Mesa, CA

Human trafficking is a huge issue that many people don’t even know about. It’s happening in Asia and Africa. It’s happening across Europe. And it’s happening, by the thousands, in America. The A21 Campaign works in 14 countries around the world, with one common goal: “to end slavery everywhere, forever.” Out of their 14 offices, eight focus on fierce intervention, and six focus on restorative aftercare. They work, on the ground, directly with local law enforcement to identify victims, and often prevent it before it starts.

There are millions of slaves in the world today—more than ever in human history—with only 1% of the victims ever being rescued. The need for an organization like A21 is apparent. Human trafficking is the fastest-growing criminal industry in the world, generating more than $150 billion USD every year.

A21 Campaign Operating Expenses

Since A21 isn’t listed on Charity Navigator or BBB Wise Giving Alliance yet, I found other sources to verify their operating expenses. According to the A21 FAQ page, they’re an 80/20 organization, meaning 80% of the donated funds go to their programs, and 20% go towards administrative expenses and fundraising. You can also view their financial reports on the FAQ page.

Charity Navigator: Potential to be rated.

BBB Wise Giving Alliance: Not listed.

Give Online

20. Christian Blind Mission International (CBM)

Location: Greenville, SC

CBM’s mission is, “An inclusive world in which all persons with disabilities enjoy their human rights and achieve their full potential.” CBM is an international Christian development organization, committed to improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities in the poorest countries of the world.¹⁴ They follow the teachings of Jesus and aim to serve internationally, with professionalism and integrity. They’ve been around for over 100 years. In 2015, CBM provided life-saving assistance to 39 million people with vision, hearing, or physical disabilities in 63 countries.

CBM may have the most impressive operating expenses on this list. A resounding 99.3% of their donations are spent directly on the programs they offer. They have virtually no administrative expenses when compared to other charities.

CBM Operating Expenses

Charity Navigator:

BBB Wise Giving Alliance: Meets All 20 Standards

Give Online

3 More Causes Worth Mentioning

I couldn’t list every great charity here, due to bandwidth constraints. I capped it off at 20, but if I find another great charity that makes the cut, I will gladly add them here. I want to mention three more causes you should know about:

1. The Salvation Army International is one of my favorite charities, but since they’re so blatantly religious-affiliated, they aren’t listed on most of the charity review websites.
2. The Bible Project is a great cause. They’re always working on new videos to bring the Bible to life. You can see their previous videos here. They have every book of the Bible in an animated summarized form, and they also have topical and word-based videos. They accept donations to keep creating content.
3. Fight the New Drug is creating awareness on the dangers of pornography. If you feel strongly about fighting this “new drug,” pornography, then consider donating to their cause.

For information on giving and taxes, check out this article on making your charitable gift tax deductible.

Further Book Reading

• Giving it All Away… and Getting it Back Again by David Green
• The Treasure Principle by David Alcorn
• Giving to God by Mark Allan Powell

Last Updated: June 24, 2020