Today I was contacted by Woman 2 Woman Breast Cancer Foundation seeking a contribution.  They had a compelling message, which is listed on their website.  It says that they provide financial assistance to breast cancer patients who are struggling financially.

One of the ways you can check to see how a charity is spending their money is to look them up online using Charity Navigator.  While the caller was on the line I went to Charity Navigator to look them up.

I could not find them and was told by the caller that they don’t submit information for rating since it costs money and since Woman 2 Woman is a non-profit they try to save money where they can.

I then went to the Woman 2 Woman website and found their audited financial statement for 2009-2010.  Turns out that in 2010 they had revenue of nearly $6.5 million, and that they spent $6.2 million on fundraising!  After an additional $60,000 in Management and General expenses, they spent only $201,000 for their stated mission.

That means if I had donated $100 to them in 2010, they would have only used three dollars to help breast cancer patients.  Needless to say they will not be receiving any donations from me.

If you get a call from a charity, do some homework and you can make sure that your money will get used for the purpose you care about.