When you are choosing a nonprofit or charity organization to which you are going to give your money, you are going to want to make sure that your money is going to do the most good possible. However, the amount of good an organization does can be entirely subjective. Here are some tips for making sure that the money that you donate goes as far as possible in your eyes.

1. Donate to a Cause You Care About

This is perhaps the most obvious piece of advice, but it's also sometimes one of the more ignored tips. You want to make sure that you donate to a cause that truly matters to you, rather than the cause that is currently popular. If you donate to a cause that you aren't enthusiastic about, then you aren't going to be following the progress of that cause, making the entire donation process less rewarding for you. This will cause you to be less likely to donate in the future or to switch to another cause. If you give more money to an organization, then there's a better chance that they will be able to do more and by switching the group to which you are donating, you are diverting resources and making your overall donations less effective.

2. Donate to a Cause that Quantifies Their Work

Some charities and nonprofits do work that is difficult to quantify. For example, organizations that research cancer have a hard time quantifying how close they are to finding a cure. If you don't care about the practical amount of work that your money is doing, then this is totally fine. If you do care, then you might want to choose an organization that is able to tell you exactly what your money is going to cover or how many people they are able to help per year. For example, one organization fixes cleft pallets and will be able to tell you how many operations your donations will cover.

3. Donate to a Cause that Allows You Participate on a More Hands-On Level

Finally, if you to be personally connected to the cause to which you are donating, look for a cause that will allow you to participate on a more hands-on level. For example, sponsoring a child in a developing country could allow you to write letters to the child and send them gifts, along with the money that you donate each month. This could make the donation process much more rewarding.

For more information, explore your options with at a site like American Giving.

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