Great Charities: A Categorized List of Highly Rated Charities to Donate to at Christmas or Year-Round

Donating money to charity is great to do at Christmas as well as year-round. Christmas can make you realize how fortunate you are, and passing some of that fortune on to those more in need is a great way to celebrate. Donating money to charity in someone's name makes a great gift, and if you're strapped for cash, it allows you to have control over the amount you spend (though many charities request a minimum donation of $5-$20). Most charities will give you some sort of notification of honorary donation that you give to those you donate for. If you have a friend or relative who has too much stuff already, find a cause that he/she is interested in and donate in his/her name.

The following is a categorized list of some really cool national/international charities that are rated at least 3 out of 4 stars on Charity Navigator*, a site that investigates and rates various charities on elements such as efficiency and capacity for growth and endurance.

*with the exception of Kiva, which has not been rated by Charity Navigator

INTERNATIONAL AID CHARITIES:

1.) Kiva: Kiva is a great charity, and especially good for someone who wants to give to charity but doesn't really have it in their budget. Their purpose is to help those in poverty become economically independent through small loans. Donors can browse the website for personal profiles of the various entrepreneurs looking for loans and choose exactly who they want their loan to go to. The loan is generally repaid in 6 months to a year, at which point the donor can get their money back, loan it out again, or give it to Kiva to cover organizational costs.

www.kiva.org

2.) Heifer Project International: With heifer, you can help a family in need by providing them with various livestock, such as sheep, ducks, or cows, that in turn help the families in various ways. The families use the livestock for milk, eggs, fertilizer, wool, or various other things. They can sell the animal products to make more money and eventually be lifted out of poverty. A great aspect of this system is that when the animals have babies, they are passed to other poor families in the community. On the website, you can choose what animal(s) you'd like to put your money towards, then Heifer passes that gift on to a family in need. If you're looking to give a large gift, you can order a "gift basket" that contains a number of different animals. If you don't have much to give, you can pay for a share of an animal for as little as $10. www.heifer.org

3.) Habitat For Humanity International: HFHI considers itself a "housing ministry." With the help of volunteers and donations, they build and rehabilitate houses for families in need, selling the houses at no profit, and help the families get affordable loans to finance their houses. The families also work with the volunteers to help build the houses. Donors can choose which projects their donations go to, or if left unspecified, donations go where needed most. You can give in someone's name and they'll receive an online notification. $10 is the minimum requested donation amount.

www.habitat.org

4.) Doctors Without Borders: Doctors Without Borders sends medical care to countries that are badly in need of such but cannot afford it, focusing especially on countries where there is armed conflict going on, where there has been a natural disaster, or where there is widespread disease and/or malnutrition. As a neutral organization, DWB does not get involved in military conflicts and gives medical care to all who need it.They also draw attention to injustices and advocate for improved medical care for all. www.doctorswithoutborders.org

5.) American Red Cross: Most people are familiar with the Red Cross, an organization that specializes in disaster relief. They provide help free of charge everyday, and if you make a donation, you can choose that it go locally, nationally, internationally, to the military, or wherever it is need most. If you donate in someone's name, they will send him/her a card of notification. They ask that the minimum donation is $5.

www.redcross.org

NATIONAL CHARITIES

6.) The National Alliance to End Homelessness: The National Alliance to End Homelessness works diligently and practically in an effort to end homelessness. By studying policy and working with various local groups, they help create new policy and advocate for homeless rights. They have a 10 year plan to end homelessness, which involves changing the nature of homeless assistance throughout the country, creating more affordable housing, and making society more accommodating to the poor through higher wages and better health care. If you donate in someone's name, the alliance will send a card or letter to him/her that does not disclose the amount donated.

www.endhomelessness.org

7.) Accion USA: Accion is a charity that helps finance small businesses by giving loans to those who in need, especially those without credit who cannot get loans from a bank. Like Kiva, this is considered a "microlending" charity in which small loans can end up making a big difference. Their belief is that everyone deserves opportunity. What they're doing is especially important now, in light of the crumbling economy. If you want to support small, local businesses or know someone who does, this is a great charity for that. I could not find anything on their site about donating in someone's name, so you may want to contact them about that.

www.accionusa.org

8.) Donors Choose: Donors Choose is a really cool charity, because it gives you a chance to pick exactly what your money is going towards. Teachers at underfunded schools request various classroom and learning resources and donors can choose to pay in full for the materials or contribute whatever amount they'd like. This one especially makes a great gift, because they have two giving options: one is a gift card, so the recipient can pick a specific project, and the other is an honoree donation. Either way, the recipient will hear back from the kids in the class who receive the materials. www.donorschoose.org

CHILDREN'S CHARITIES

9.) Make a Wish: Almost everyone has heard of the Make-a-Wish Foundation, a charity that helps children with life-threatening conditions realize their greatest wishes. The average wish, according to the website, costs around $6,200 and is completely free to the family regardless of their income. If you donate in someone's name by December 13th, they will mail a personalized gift card to them (or you can choose a blank card and personalize it yourself).

www.wish.org

10.) Sunshine Kids: Sunshine Kids is an organization that brightens the lives of children with cancer. Because of SK, children in participating hospitals can enjoy completely free programs, group activities, and trips. The activities range from are skating parties, dancing/acting workshops and concerts to 6 day trips to places such as Las Vegas, Washington DC, and Hawaii. You can donate in someone's name; however, it is not clear from the website if they will get some sort of notification.

www.sunshinekids.org

ANIMAL/WILDLIFE CHARITIES

11.) World Wildlife Fund: WWF is a charity that focuses on environmental conservation. They work hard to conserve natural areas and find more sustainable practices, using up-to-date scientific research to inform their ideas and opinions. They work across the world in an effort to find the places most in need of their help. They have various gifts they give with donations of amounts $25 and up, or you can donate in someone's name. You can also "adopt" an endangered animal of your choice and you will get, at the lowest donation--$25--an adoption certificate and photo of the animal, or at the higher donations--$50 through $250--a stuffed animal and a gift bag (in addition to the certificate and photo--to see complete details, visit their website). Such "adoptions" make great gifts for animal lovers!

www.wwf.org

12.) Humane Farming Association: HFA fights farm animal abuses and protects animal rights through investigations, media campaigns, and perhaps most importantly, care of abused farm animals. In donating as little as $20, you can get someone a gift membership, which includes a bumper sticker, a welcome packet, and recurring updates of HFA's works.

www.hfa.org

Of course, this is just a short sampling of various charities. If nothing here grabs you, check out www.charitynavigator.org, where they have longer lists and more numerous categories. Or you can check out local charities, such as battered women shelters or homeless shelters or humane societies.