Giving is one of those universal activities that make a person feel great. Biologically the brain releases chemical componds to reward ourselves when we do something that reinforce our viewpoint. The question is: Do we do enough thinking about to whom we are giving? I do not mean if we should give or not. That is a question you should ask yourself based on your circumstances. This post is rather on the whole process of giving: is the charity we are giving to a good one, does it solve the condition it was created to help, and is there another way of helping a charity.
Knowing if the charity is a good one might seem easy. There are lots of websites of organizations who investigate and do the research on charities, some even cost money to use (which is odd). Charity Intelligence from Canada is one but the best advice I have read is to volunteer for the one you are interested in. By volunteering you are seeing the inner workings of that charity and seeing how effective it is, plus you are helping them as you do so. So do research to the level you can.
There are lots of "feel good" charities out there but do they help solve the condition they were created for. By "feel good" I mean those charities where there is lots of flash and glam, possibly with items given to you in exchange for donation money, and that the emphasis is on being seen to help. If you donate a $10 minimum and you get a T-shirt that costs $4 to make that says you donated to charity X, would it have not been better to give $10 and not accept the T-shirt? Perhaps you could donate more to increase the difference in the amount of money spent and raised? Some charities have been more showy for little results. All the pink being worn in the NFL, with thier official products, has raised no money for cancer research. Money raised through the NFL pink drive goes to funding for awareness, education, and screenings. It is a tiny fraction of $10 billion the NFL makes each year. Lots of showy pink for little gained but it looks impressive, therefore we feel good. Why not ensure the charity you are donating, solves the condition it was created to help: directly to good medical research, giving jobs or micro loans to the poor, mosquito nets, water pumps, solar heating devices...whatever. Go with results not fluff.
Lastly is there other ways to help charities? Why not donate your skillset? In 2013, Toyota donated the time of thier engineers to help a New York food kitchen, food pantry, and food bank. They looked at what they were doing and came up with solutions to maximize efficiency. Wait times for meals were cut to 18 minues rater than up to 90. Times to get food to the needy and make food boxes were also cut down. Thier time and expertise helped the organization help others, even after they left. What is your skillset? Are you a carpenter who can build or repair something? An electrician who can set up lighting? Do you have bookeeping skills? All these things can help a charity in more ways than a monetary donation can.
Doing research head of time you will be prepared for when someone comes to your front door or calls you (often part of an organization that takes a big cut of the money raised). I would advise to not blindly give your money and personal information, no matter how much chemical compounds are released into the brain. Make your efforts count.
References
http://www.smartgiving.ca/
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/chrts-gvng/chrts/cntct/nfrmtn-eng.html
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