Charity Navigator is a platform that assists donors in making informed decisions about where and how to donate their funds. This service provides a wide range of resources, such as understanding charity ratings, recognising scams, protecting data, and understanding tax benefits. It also offers tools to enable better donation decisions.
The resource platform provides a variety of categories through which potential donors can identify and support the cause of their interest. Categories include charities with perfect scores, popular charities, animal welfare, support for BIPOC students, mental health, environmental protection, and education improvement, among others. Additionally, the service highlights charities that the community has chosen and frequently viewed charities, offering an insight into popular organizations and causes.
Furthermore, Charity Navigator brings attention to urgent causes around the world, like natural disasters and political crises. It provides updates on current situations such as flooding in Libya, the Moroccan earthquake, and the Ukrainian-Russian crisis, allowing donors to respond promptly.
In addition to providing information about charities, Charity Navigator also provides resources to assist donors' understanding of the basics of giving. These resources protect donors from charity scams, assist with data protection, provide information about online scams, and offer advice about giving and taxes. It even offers insights into donation bunching, charitable deductions, tax benefits, and estate planning.
Charity Navigator further provides tools for potential donors like a Giving Basket, volunteer opportunities, and an Estate Planner, among others. The platforms also provide guides for effective giving, reassuring donors that small donations are significant, and offering advice on underfunded charities and the benefits and downsides of community foundations.
Moreover, Charity Navigator widens the scope of donations beyond monetary contributions by encouraging donations in kind. It provides advice on donating food, choosing items to donate to animal shelters, and understanding why donated clothes aren't always given away for free. This broad perspective on donations allows for multiple ways of contributing.
Lastly, Charity Navigator also contains an 'About Us' section, detailing its mission and team, further establishing trust with users. Regular updates on the nonprofit's profile rating and a press room issuing the latest news also contribute to the organization's transparency.
Verdict: Charity Navigator is an all-encompassing platform, offering a well-rounded suite of services to potential donors. By assisting donors through the entire process of giving, from recognizing the right charity to understanding tax implications, it brings an element of ease to otherwise complex decisions.
