Wise Giving: How to Find the Perfect Charity

	Russian Relief
	Photo courtesy of AmeriCares

Nonprofit relief organization AmeriCares was founded in 1982 by businessman Robert Macauley, after he had embarked on two large philanthropic missions: rescuing a group of Vietnamese orphans after a plane crash in 1975 and bringing millions of dollars of health care supplies into Poland in 1981.

Twenty-five years later, it is still giving. AmeriCares has given away more than $6 billion worth of aid, in the form of life-saving medicine, medical supplies and relief, to people in 137 countries around the globe.

Curtis Welling, CEO of AmeriCares, knows that this nonprofit organization is particularly appealing to members of the financial community. "They understand the key terms, including leverage and value-added proposition," says Welling.

"Somebody gives us a dollar, and we can turn [it] into $30 or $40 of aid. So from an investment standpoint, it's a leveraged pay on your philanthropy. You get to see your dollar work 30 times as hard," Welling explains.

Choosing a Charity

Not surprisingly, the most intelligent and aggressive charity donors want to know where their money is going.

There are several companies acting as watchdog services to give benefactors information on how their donation is used. Charity Navigator, for instance, was founded in 2001 and has information on over 5,000 charities. ...