During trying times like these, helping your neighbor is always the right thing to do. If the coronavirus outbreak has motivated you to give money to a good cause, CharityWatch has identified almost two dozen nonprofits worthy of your dollars.
CharityWatch, which is a nonprofit watchdog and itself a nonprofit, says these organizations are “highly efficient and accountable charities involved in efforts to provide emergency assistance and aid for the global coronavirus pandemic.”
They also “perform favorably” in terms of two CharityWatch benchmarks:
- A charity should spend at least 75% of its budget on program services.
- A charity should spend no more than $25 to raise $100.
- Alight
- CARE USA
- Catholic Relief Services
- City Harvest
- Direct Relief & Direct Relief Foundation
- Doctors Without Borders USA
- Feeding America
- Food Bank For New York City
- International Medical Corps
- International Rescue Committee
- Lutheran World Relief
- MAP International
- Medical Teams International
- Mercy Corps
- Operation USA
- Oxfam-America
- Partners In Health
- Save the Children
- United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)
- United States Fund for UNICEF
- World Vision
CharityWatch notes that when you send a donation, money — in the form of a check or credit card payment — is almost always preferable to goods:
“Such cash donations enable charities to buy the most needed types of food, medicine, clothing, shelter materials, and other supplies. By buying relief products locally or regionally, charities can reduce shipping costs and more rapidly deliver assistance.”
People already are digging deep and giving to the cause. As of March 17, philanthropic funding to fight the new coronavirus had topped $1 billion, including $182 million from U.S. sources, according to the foundation research group Candid.
How to avoid a coronavirus scam
Millions of people want to help in times of crisis. Unfortunately, however, a few bad apples always try to profit on such hard times.
Scams are part of life, and fraudsters love to crank up their nefarious activities when the going gets tough. Don’t let them victimize you. To stay protected, check out “7 Tips for Avoiding a Coronavirus Scam.”
What’s your favorite charity? Let us know in comments below or on our Facebook page.
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