Where can I find evaluative information on nonprofit organizations I am thinking of contributing to?

There are a number of Internet resources that may be consulted to find out more about nonprofit organizations to which you wish to contribute. Some sites contain detailed descriptive information, while others provide only the most basic contact information. Be prepared to look at several resources, and be aware that there may not be any information available on the organization you have in mind. It may be that the organization is not a nonprofit or that it is too new to be listed in the resources below.

Refer to the following Web sites for evaluative information on nonprofit organizations:

• The BBB Wise Giving Alliance was formed in 2001 with the merger of the National Charities Information Bureau and the Council of Better Business Bureaus Foundation and its Philanthropic Advisory Service. The BBB Wise Giving Alliance collects and distributes information on hundreds of nonprofit organizations that solicit nationally or that have national or international program services. At this site you will find Charity Reports, an order form for the BBB Wise Giving Guide, Charity Standards, and Tips on Giving. The Web site also provides donor education information that includes reports and articles, news and alerts, and the opportunity to file an inquiry or complaint about a charity.

• GuideStar is a searchable database of nearly one million nonprofit organizations. Records include the basic purpose of each organization, financial data and the Form 990 tax return they filed (in PDF format). In Guidestar's advanced search you can search by name, keyword, city, and state. Free registration is required in order to view Forms 990 and 990-PF at Guidestar's Web site.

• The ePhilanthropyFoundation.org, a new charity watchdog group, offers "Tips for Online Giving" (available in HTML, PDF, and Word formats) that contain relevant information for making sure that your donations are used appropriately and have the maximum impact.

• Other watchdog organizations can be found in the Center's Links to Nonprofit Resources under the heading "Charity-Monitoring Organizations." Julie Salamon, author of Rambam's Ladder, also has created a list of watchdog sites called "Ideas for Giving."

• The BBB Wise Giving Alliance has also issued a news release containing helpful information for donors in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, including a 10-point list of tips for donors to consider. More recently, a list of 10 "Tips on Tsunami Relief Appeals" has been made available.

• The National Council of Nonprofit Associations and the National Human Services Assembly have created a document entitled "Rating the Raters: An Assessment of Organizations and Publications That Rate/Rank Charitable Nonprofit Organizations" that provides a comparative assessment of several of the major nonprofit rating organizations.

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