We respect your privacy. All email addresses you provide will be used just for sending this story. But you need to look carefully at the organization to make sure you are sending your money to the right place. Some organizations may spend too much on administrative and fundraising costs or are outright scammers. Vetting charities is especially important now because December is typically the largest month for giving. Charities differ a lot in how much chariities the money they raise goes for programs instead of covering the expense of raising money. To become accredited by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, charities must meet 20 standards, including adequate board oversight hear strong conflict-of-interest policies, as well as the requirement that they spend at least 65 percent of their total expenses yrar their charitable programs and no more than 35 percent of their total contributions on fundraising. CharityWatch uses a letter-grade rating hod that also looks at the percentage of overhea...