I’m loving THIS ARTICLE at cnet regarding donating to charities… Here’s just a portion:

Finding worthy recipients for your generosity
Whether your goal is to help your neighbors in need or to address a particular pressing need, such as disease prevention or clean drinking water, a good place to start your search for a good cause is JustGive.org. The site lets you search for charities by keyword, by location, or by browsing its extensive list of charitable organizations.

If you’d like to start your own fund-raising organization, GoFundMe helps you create a personal donation site, publicize it, and track the donations you receive. Another site that helps you solicit online contributions for your favorite causes is Razoo, which lets you search for causes by name, keyword, or ZIP code.

The focus at the fund-raising site Causes is on creating a community of giving. You and your friends can join with others who share your charitable goals, including celebrities and public officials.