YIP!: Charity Watch

Probably like you, I'm hit up with donation requests from charities all the time.  How do I know which charities are worth giving to?  I turn to Charity Watch, an organization that rates charities based on how much of the funds they raise actually goes to their stated missions.  Reading the thrice-yearly publication is eyeopening.  I had no idea that so many charities had executives and officers making well over a hundred grand a year (I know that everyone generally likes to make money, but couldn't people be found who could do the same jobs for less money and still make a decent living?  I suppose this is an issue in our society that stretches far beyond charities).  Some of the charities appear to be out and out scams preying on the ignorant and sympathetic to give them money.  Many have names similar to real charities but operate quite differently.  I stopped donating stuff to a couple of supposed veterans charities because they received grades of F (Charity Watch rates charities from A to F); I'll give my unwanted stuff to Goodwill, who gets an A (though their CEO apparently makes half a million a year . . . hmm, maybe I'll give it to someone else; I better check the latest Charity Rating Guide first though).