Continue to seek information about the performance of the organizations that you support.  Financial stability is one measure, but you may also want to find out about their services:  Were more people being helped?  Were there more exhibitions and performances with more people attending, and what was the response of the critics?  Are more patients returning to health, and are researchers closer to finding a cure?  If the organization cannot respond to your questions, it may be a sign of ineffectiveness, or that they don't have funds or expertise to collect that data.

As you look outward to find out more about the nonprofits you support, you should also take the time to look inward to determine whether your philanthropic goals and interests have changed. You should continually test the alignment of your passions and your expectations with your gifts.

NPT can recommend resources, organizations, conferences, and seminars nationwide to help you become a more practical philanthropist. In addition, we can conduct research on fields of interest and individual philanthropic organizations. We also can monitor your grants, conduct site visits, and gather information from organizations to assess their performance and compare them to others.

Our website also provides a list of resources and links to institutions to help you research and evaluate charities.