I prefer local charities where I can donate anonymously. i.e. those jars in stores to support especially for animal rescues. Nothing like trying to help an organization out & they spam you with needless trinkets & junk mail!
My church does a lot of collections of items for a charity called Orphan Grain Train. Recently I helped with a fundraiser for a women's pregnancy center.
I don't give to the big not-for-profits because the CEOs make more money than I think they should, and they pay way too much on advertising, so the charities aren't receiving as much as they should.
Because many of the UK's largest charities spend a tiny proportion of their donated income on charitable activities, as little as 1% in the case of Lloyd's Register Foundation. Other charities such as Barnardo's and Oxfam have long histories of of child abuse.
I took over the running of a small charity which was being rinsed by both the board of directors and their accountant to such an extent there was nothing left to pay essential staff or bills.
I simply don't trust charities when it comes to finance.
I have always given to the motherless babies homes every year on my birthday 13th April. Those kids deserve more and I try as much as I can to help them with food and cloth support. It's either I donate money or I buy the supplies myself.
I usually participate in the donation drives at my work. We do one to collect food for shelter dogs and cats in the spring, and at the holidays, we collect stuffed animals for local children. I usually buy a little extra food or one or two of the stuffed animals to donate when I make my own purchases to help out.
I'll also sometimes round up my total to the next whole dollar to help whatever organization they're trying to help, depending on that particular organization's mission.