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ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Pink ribbons, ice buckets: Any way to choose a charity?

Kim Painter
Special for USA TODAY
Pink ribbons are symbols of Breast Cancer Awareness Month -- and common fundraising and sales tools.  Charity experts say donors and buyers should find out where their money goes..

In August, people dumped buckets of ice water over their heads to raise money to fight ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). Now it's October, time for pink-ribbon products and events to raise money to fight breast cancer. In November, social media feeds will fill up with pictures of guys growing mustaches for the Movember men's health campaign.

All these efforts have something in common: They rely on people to make spur-of-the-moment decisions to donate money to certain health charities. And whether the appeal comes from a friend or from a retailer, it can feel really good to chip in and join a popular cause.

But a growing number of voices say that what feels good does not necessarily do the most good.

Giving to whomever grabs your attention online, on the phone or in a store, "is not a savvy or sophisticated way to give," says Sandra Miniutti, marketing vice president at Charity Navigator (charitynavigator.org), a non-profit organization that rates charities based on financial health, accountability and transparency.

The group recommends donors find out exactly what charities do with donations and whether that matches what donors want. For example, Miniuitti says, a little research might reveal that one breast cancer charity is paying for mammograms, another is funding basic research and yet another is spending little or no money on breast cancer programs.

The advocacy group Breast Cancer Action has warned for years — in its Think Before You Pink campaign — that sales of some products adorned with pink ribbons raise no breast cancer money. Some proceeds from other products do go to charities. But the group says consumers should investigate those charities before buying.

Very few people approach their charitable donations so carefully. In a survey of affluent donors, just 35% said they did any research before giving, Hope Consulting reported in 2010.

Participants tip buckets of ice water over their heads as they take part in the World Record Ice Bucket Challenge in August in Melbourne, Australia. Over 700 people took part in setting the new world record. The Ice Bucket Challenge is the social media phenomenon that is helping raise awareness and money for sufferers of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease."

People mostly give to groups they feel they know, including their former schools, their houses of worship and health causes affecting loved ones, Miniutti says. But she adds that it's also clear many people are impulse givers, as evidenced by the $115 million that the ice bucket challenge raised for the ALS Association over the summer. (The group is still deciding how to use the windfall).

That effort was started by friends and families of people with ALS who are passionate about fighting the fatal neurological disease.

Miniutti sees that kind of passion as a good thing for fundraisers and donors: "You need to have some passion about what you are doing to have that commitment to write the big check. … I don't think people should feel guilty about supporting issues because they care."

But some critics of common charitable practices do say that personal passions can get in the way of effective giving — unless your personal passion is doing the most good for the most people.

When it comes to health causes, "if you give to an average charitable institution instead of a really effective one, people are literally going to get sick and die who otherwise would not. It's that serious," says Eric Friedman, author of a 2013 book, Reinventing Philanthropy: A Framework for More Effective Giving.

The Movember Foundation challenges men to grow moustaches during Movember (the month formerly known as November) to spark conversation and raise funds for several men's health issues: prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health problems.

Friedman, an actuary from Oak Park, Ill., is a fan of GiveWell (givewell.org), a group that scours the world for underfunded charities doing work with proven impact. All the projects it recommends are in the developing world. Two on its current list are health charities: Both provide deworming pills to poor children — an intervention that costs 50 cents to $1 a child each year and that has lasting positive effects on growth and development, says Sean Conley, a research analyst with the group.

There will probably never be a viral social media campaign or a colored ribbon for deworming pills. But many health charities are looking for the next ice bucket, pink ribbon or personal story to raise money. It's up to donors to consider such appeals carefully, says GiveWell founder Elie Hassenfeld. "It's easy to have your heart strings pulled by a great story."

Charity Navigator offers some more tips:

• Be wary of telephone pitches. The callers often are with for-profit fundraising companies that keep a large portion of the money.

• Be careful of sound-alike names. Less worthy charities often try to piggy-back on the names and reputations of others.

• Do some research. At a bare minimum, make sure your money is going to a legitimate non-profit group with tax-exempt status.

• Concentrate your giving. Donating is not like investing in the stock market. Too much diversification will limit your impact.

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