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Charity Navigator: Help your donation $$$ work harder

Ranked #436 in Nonprofits, #115,348 overall | Donates to Squidoo Charity Fund

Giving: How to donate efficiently

This lens is dedicated to Charity Navigator and creating awareness about this valuable tool.

Charity Navigator accumulates hard to find information for donors. The data is analyzed and presented; providing a quick snapshot of a charity's overall financial health and effectiveness. It allows donors to focus, getting the biggest bang for each donation dollar.

CHECK IT OUT: Charity Navigator will take your giving to the next level.

My first lens

Well, here we go. I am entering the world of Squidoo. May this be a defining moment!

I have spent the last several days struggling and brainstorming for a topic. My first lens, it must be perfect. The stress, the anguish, I cannot do it. (You all know the drill) I must dive in.

Then it hit me. I will combine the power of Squidoo and their charitable endeavors, with the research of Charity Navigator.

(Disclosure: I have no affiliation or ties to Charity Navigator. I was simply searching for my first lens topic and it seemed like a perfect fit. All kidding aside, this is my first lens. I hope that I have done Charity Navigator justice and promise to improve this lens continually.)

Who is Charity Navigator?

Charity Navigator's Mission Statement - straight from the horse's mouth (ok it's from their website)

What is Charity Navigator's mission?

"Charity Navigator works to guide intelligent giving. We help charitable givers make intelligent giving decisions by providing information on over five thousand charities and by evaluating the financial health of each of these charities. We ensure our evaluations are widely used by making them easy to understand and freely available to the public. By guiding intelligent giving, we aim to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace, in which givers and the charities they support work in tandem to overcome our nation's most persistent challenges."

Charity Navigator Usage Poll

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A Little More Background

Learn more

Methodology: How do they evaluate charities? See their criteria here. Charity Navigator covers items such as: fundraising expenses, fundraising efficiency, administrative costs, and program expenses (money reaching the actual cause). These are just a few examples; they also provide a whole range of financial data.

Tools to Use

Information just for you

Charity Navigator has developed a valuable set of resources for your use. Spend some time and visit the site.

Efficient Giving: Here is one link to get you started. Be sure to look around and see the other sections. There are tools, tips, FAQ's and directories; plus a very cool interactive map for finding international charities.

In the News: Charity Navigator

What others are saying

Audio Bible ministry gets four gold stars: Charity Navigator, America's leading evaluator of charities, thinks FCBH does a good job meeting its mission and is a good steward of donor funds--so good, in fact, that they've been awarded this honor for five years running.
National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.(R) Rated Number One Breast Cancer ...: FRISCO, TX, Feb 09, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Charity Navigator, America's premier charity evaluator, recently awarded the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. (NBCF) its highest 4-star rating. The rating is based on NBCF's ability to ...
Commentary: HSUS (finally) under scrutiny: Pacelle pointed out that HSUS received a four-star rated charity (the highest possible) from Charity Navigator; is approved by the Better Business Bureau on 20 measures for charity accountability; was voted by GuideStar's Philanthropedia as the No.
Santorum's charitable donations lag rivals: "His donation level is on the low side," said Ken Berger, the president and CEO of Charity Navigator, who also noted that research suggests religious individuals donate more than the non-religious. "When you put it in the context of people of faith, ...

VOTE: Top Charities

Sound Off: Its your TURN

What is your favorite charity?

(I will start you off with one, OK that's a cop-out, but I want to see what you come up with, AMAZE ME!)

1

Vote Up

Vote Down

Charity Navigator

1 point

2

Vote Up

Vote Down

Partnership for a Drug-Free America

0 points

3

Vote Up

Vote Down

Epic Farms

0 points

4

Vote Up

Vote Down

Ronald Mcdonald House Charities

0 points

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Now that you've voted

See Charity Navigator's Top Ten Lists

This may be the most surprising section of the site. Look around; you might be surprised by what you find.

How well do you know your charity? Want to change your vote?

Get the lists HERE

Charity Navigator Needs Your Help

Support them

How can you help raise awareness about Charity Navigator? Take a few minutes and check out the links below. There are many simple options to choose from, so please help.

Donate to Charity Navigator: Learn How
Link to their site: Links and banner here
Buy or give the Good Card: Makes a great gift

Follow Charity Navigator on Twitter

Check back often, as this Twitter feed will continually update.

Charity Navigator Blog

Stay up to date on charity news

Be sure to check back often, this blog feed will be updated every other day.

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One More Thought

Never under estimate your power to change the world

"I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; I will not refuse to do the something I can do." - Helen Keller

Things to do before leaving

Sign the guest book, let the world know you were here

Tell everyone about Charity Navigator and this lens
(better yet, link to it)

Vote, Vote, Vote: What is your favorite charity?

Keep using Squidoo and raise money for charity

Oh yeah, visit the Charity Navigator site