It is true there are so many good causes that it's hard to choose. Personally, I use two criteria. First, is the cause one that is especially close and personal to me. The second is the efficiency of the organization. This is measured by what fraction of funds raised actually go to the mission, as opposed to administrative costs.

A personal example for me is the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). My mother in law was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, which makes LLS's mission close to my heart. As for efficiency, the LLS Team in Training (TNT, http://www.teamintraining.org/ ) trains ordinary people to complete endurance events (marathon, half-marathon, 100-mile bike rides, triathlons, etc.). These individuals raise funds for LLS to sponsor their participation. About 75% of the minimum fund-raising amount is dedicated to the mission, with most of the remainder covering the costs of participation (hotel, transportation, registration fee, etc.), so only about 12% of the minimum funds raised goes to administrative costs. Any funds raised above the minimum are 100% dedicated to the mission of eradicating blood cancers. It is a great personal outcome that by participating you also get fit.

I support charities that will matter after the recipients die: Christian charities. As much as I want poor feed, sick healed, and ignorant educated, if I have to choose one, I want sinners saved. All my organizational charity goes to church organizations, and then if I personally know someone in need, I help him directly without an intermediate charity.

I choose charities that would benefit someone I know or someone in my family.
Like for instance, St Jude hospital, Shriners, American Heart Assn.
I have had to utilize the Shriners Hospital for my daughter so I will always donate to them as repayment for them helping her.

I try to choose charities that I view as selfless and that have the best record for using the money wisely. For example, while I support the Red Cross, they don't have a great record of getting all the money to people who are in need.

Personally, at this time of the year, I am also more likely to choose local charities that are helping people in my area. A favorite is Operation Gumdrop, an organization in my hometown that provides food for school age children to take home over the weekend, so that children on free or reduced fee lunches are not going hungry. The organization discretely places back packs full of snacks and healthy mini-meals in the child's locker on Fridays and the kids bring the empty packs back to school on Monday. The organization buys food from a St. Louis area food pantry for just a few cents per pound and they have almost no overhead. I know my donations stay local and have a huge impact.

I also like the Salvation Army's Angel Tree program at Christmas because I can choose the child I'm sponsoring and make sure that the child has a nice Christmas. Sine I donate stuff and not cash, I know the child benefits.

On an international level, I really like the charities that help people help themselves. The Marion Medical Mission to Malawi sends supplies (and doctors) from a small town in Illinois to one of the poorest nations on the planet. What started as a Christian medical mission has been supplemented with efforts to held build clean water wells and teach the locals there drip irrigation to help them grow more food to fight the famine. One hundred percent of the money raised goes to the supplies or direct support of staff in Malawi. People who go on the mission trips must pay their own way and usually help pay the cost of shipping the goods. One woman who went packed one of her bags full of recycled soccer uniforms to donate to a chool there. The supports medicine, education and farming in a nation where children die of starvation and treatable illnesses.

By never giving to people who call me on the phone. Sound harsh? Really it isn't. I want the causes I believe in to receive the most money that they can from donations. I don't like the idea of paying a company to collect those donations.
I personally know two individuals who worked for such a company in the state of Indiana. The company they worked for received 80% of the money collected. Granted, I know this expanded the amount of money and contact for the organization, but still....80%? Just doesn't seem fair to me.

I give to churches who help families in our area. I'm not talking about some big, fancy smancy church that pays the pastor $100k a year. I'm talking about a small church just out doing good -- and I'm not even Christian!

I feel comfortable with Christmas Wish or Angel Trees done locally. Granted, some undeserving people will use it when they shouldn't. but the majority truly are in need.

I donate to a hospital that is local to me for very personal reasons. We tried to conceive for nearly a decade and eventually did. Unfortunately, we had a still born baby girl. Because of my condition a procedure was done to deliver her that made it impossible to see her afterward. As you can imagine, this was a heart wrenching and traumatic event in our lives. We were brought a gift that seemed so stupid to me at the time -- sorry, but it did!
It was called An Empty Arms Bear. The feeling of leaving the hospital with 'empty arms' is just too much. No parent should ever be forced to endure this. The organization I give to tries their best to make certain that they don't have to. Silly as it seemed to me when this little bear was handed to me it quite literally saved me from a complete breakdown. I cried with the bear, I held it like a baby, I loved it, I slept with it and it is now worth more to me than any other material possession I own. With the bear comes a card. There is a verse inside and it is sent in the memory of another angel. That angel's parents donate money because they know the grief and soul shattering loss of a child. They want to let a grieving parent know that they are not alone, others suffer with them and that their angel is sending you comfort in the form of a little, plain teddy bear.

If you are looking for a charity that gives 100% of it's proceeds to the actual charity - along with a charity that will forever touch the life of people - this is it!

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=8Vq&q=related:www.consolingparents.com/index.php/download_file/-/33/

I tend to look at a few criteria:

1. Do they use the money efficiently? I want someone who can get more than 75 cents per dollar directly to the cause. I know there is overhead at all nonprofits, but I want to make sure they are careful with their dollars.
2. Do they prevent a problem, long-term? Cruel as it sounds, feeding hungry kids in the 3rd world doesn't solve a problem. It merely creates an endless money pit. A nonprofit that does something that contributes to long-term sustainability or prevention of a problem is a better use of money. I want an end in sight.
3. Do they offer their services to anyone, regardless of religious preference? Some churches open their doors to anyone, but many religious organizations only want to feed and clothe those who swear allegiance to their own sect. I won't give them a dime.
4. Are they helping those that help themselves? Personally, I don't give money to any organization that helps those who ruined their own lives. For instance, I wouldn' donate to a charity that helps drug addicts, since they chose to be drug users and destroyed their lives selfishly.

I try to think objectively, and not donate emotionally to causes that have touched only people I know. For instance, I don't know anyone with cancer, but I would rather donate to a good cancer organization than a crappy nonprofit that gives me some selfish return.

Your right, there are many charities to choose from. The charities I support I have chosen because they have a special meaning to me. I support pancreatic Caner Research because my grandfather passed away from the disease. I support Breast Cancer research because my best friend had to have a double mastectomy when she was 35.

In general, I don't not support causes that have paid solicitors call my house. If the can afford to pay someone to call me, they do not need my money in my opinion.

I try to do several things when choosing a charity. First, I decide if I can impact an individual and change something for that individual rather than choosing a group. Second, I look into what kind of a charity will have a spiderweb affect. Does the charity help the future of someone or does it meet immediate concerns. Next, I check into the background of the charity. I look into information about how reliable they are. I also consider whether the charity is selfless or if it is all about getting fame or money. Then, I try to decide whether the charity is best served by time, donation of money, donation of expertise, or donation of item.

All of these things go through my mind when choosing a charity.

It is best to choose charities according to the cause. You should always support a cause you are passionate about or that affects you in some way.