Item Record

Individuals and families are by far the largest source of support for charities and their work -- providing more than 80% of the donated dollars.

Not all charities are equal. While many do strong work with the moneys entrusted to them, others lack focus or management and produce little impact.

Especially now (2010), when the economy and government funding for services are down, and demand for charity-provided services is up, it's important to find and support strong charities doing solid work.

Charities publish a large amount of public information each year about their operations and finances, when they file their IRS Form 990 and 990-EZ returns. This Guide helps us find those returns, and evaluate the key information within them. It helps you find strong charities, and decide on which charities to support.