The Five Worst Charities In America

Several times a month I get letters from various charities asking for money.  Some I've heard of, others I haven't.  Before you give to any charity, it's important to know where the money that you donate goes.  CNN investigated the worst charities in America.

CNN teamed up with the Tampa Bay Times and the Center for Investigative Reporting to find the worst charities in the country.  These five charities are the worst in America because most of the money donated to them does not go to those they're helping.

1.  Kids Wish Network.  According to CNN, nearly $110 million over the past decade has been channeled to their corporate fundraisers, not the sick kids that money was donated for.  Less than three cents of each dollar raised is spent on sick kids.

2.  Cancer Fund of America.  Over the past ten years, patients have received less than a million dollars in direct cash aid.  Just how much money was donated to Cancer Fund of America in the last decade?  A whopping $98 million.

3.  Children's Wish Foundation International.  Not to be confused with the Make A Wish Foundation.  In 2010, they donated goods worth $3 million to terminally sick kids and spent around $600,000 granting wishes to those sick kids.  Sounds good  until you hear they paid professional fund raisers close to $6 million that year.

4.  American Breast Cancer Foundation.  CNN calls ABCF one of the most wasteful charities in the country and reports they've been wasteful for thirteen years.

5.  Firefighters Charitable Foundation.  Their goal is to financially help those affected by a disaster or a fire.  Despite raising $64 million in donations from 2002 to 2011, they spent less than ten cents of every dollar on direct financial help to those who needed it.

Needless to say, I will not donate a dime to any of these charities.  I'd rather to give to charities who give much more of the money donated to those who really need it.  Isn't that what it's all about?