Folks, today more than ever when we are all looking for ways to stretch our dollars, giving wisely to charity is more important than ever. One key number is fundraising efficiency. When you have a benefit for a friend or family member this number is extremely high. Then there are foundations like the Hartbaauer/McBride Foundation (bikers Helping Bikers) that are run by volunteers and have minimal expenses. There efficiency rating is also very high. Then at the other end of the scale are the large non-profit charities among the best of these is the Make-A-Wish Foundation which has an efficiency of $.17 from each dollar that goes to help those in need. Remember I said this was one of the best,other large non-profit charities are worse. They spend more than $.83 of every dollar they receive on expenses. So when giving you need to ask yourself do I want to help someone or do I want to pay a lot of folks to do volunteer work.