[Dottore]

If the concern is that all (or most) of your charity dollar goes where its needed and not into adminsitration, there are some great websites that track the overhead of all registered charities.

Some of the most popular ones have the highest overhead - and that is always a waste.

As for giving: follow your conscience. There are many people in North America that genuinely need help. I do some volunteer work with homeless people in my town, and I am constantly amazed how many people are on the street because they have (a) really had some spectacular bad luck, or (b) are mentally ill in some way that our society does not fully recognize and treat. These people need and deserve help.

Of course there are just as many scamsters around, but if you spend a few minutes talking to most homeless people the difference between the deserving and undeserving is often very clear.