I have to second the comments of those swaying away from big charitable companies. Places like United Way and Boys and Girls Club are no differently run then your large downtown corporations. It's alot of overhead and your money does not always go towards what you want. It also rarely makes an impact right away since there is an X amount they need to raise to put towards a project and if it is not met, the money is redirected to another place.
If you are looking to make a donation and have it impact your community and actually see what it is doing, I highly suggest looking into some of the smaller local charities then these larger ones that are looking to produce radical change results. The overhead is little and any money raised towards the project actually goes to it.
Right to Play and Kidsport have been mentioned and are excellent choices. They have little overhead and individual donations go towards the cause, not the salaries. Donations to your local Boy Scouts or Girl Guides group go a long way as well since it goes completely towards their projects and outings since all the leaders and background workers are Volunteer run and you are not paying for salaries.
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