Is United Way a good charity to support? Here’s a Q&A guide for thoughtful donors 

You want to feel good about where your donation goes—and you should! We know how important it is to feel confident about where you are giving. One of our most frequently asked questions by would-be donors has always been, is United Way a good charity to give to? United Way of Greater Atlanta works closely alongside dozens of nonprofits across our region, so it’s natural that we answer absolutely yes! But we want you to feel confident about supporting the causes that matter to you most.  

From checking their mission to reviewing their accreditation, here are five questions you can ask to determine whether United Way or any other organizations are good charities to donate to in 2026. 

Giving 101: Identifying Good Charity Organizations 

Here are a few simple questions you can ask yourself to ensure you make giving choices that align with your values and have the biggest impact. 

1. What is this group’s mission and impact?

   You don’t have to respond to every heart-wrenching story, flashy ad, or door-to-door fundraiser that comes your way. Instead, when vetting good charities to donate to, take a moment to understand what the organization actually does.

   • What is their guiding mission?
   • Do they share results that show how they’re living that mission out?
   • Do they have an agenda or goals that show what your money will be used for?

   You can often find this information on an organization’s About Us page and in their annual reports. If they’re clear about their purpose and transparent about the impact they are having, that’s a great sign.

   
   

2. Is this the right organization?

   Greater Atlanta is home to 40,000 nonprofits and counting, and some of them have very similar names. That can get confusing fast! It’s entirely possible that people aiming to give to good charity organizations could end up giving to a different group than the one they intended.

   One example we see often has to do with our own name. Yes, United Way is a good charity to give to in general—but if you want to make a local impact, branch names can make all the difference. United Way of Greater Atlanta makes sure that your dollars stay local here in the 13 counties surrounding the metro Atlanta area. Give to the similar sounding United Way of Central Georgia, on the other hand, and your gift will target families and kids closer to Macon! So double-check before you donate.

   
   

3. Is this charity transparent about operations, finances, and community impact?

   A nonprofit’s website can tell you a lot—both from what’s on the website and from what’s missing. The following questions should guide which organizations are good charities to donate to:

   • Who are its leaders and board members?
   • Are those leaders active, visible, and trustworthy figures in the community?
   • Are there recent impact or success stories?
     
   • Does the website have up-to-date financial documents? (Check for an IRS form called a 990.)

   If any of this key information is hard to answer after searching their website, it can be a red flag.

   
   

4. Is the charity you’re considering accredited?

   Not every group that asks for donations is a recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit—an IRS tax-exempt designation given to charities whose work benefits the public. Organizations can even lose their accreditation if they don’t file paperwork each year or stop offering services, so it’s always good to check in.

   You can easily look up whether an organization is actually tax-exempt by looking them up on the IRS website. You can find additional information about a nonprofit’s standings through websites like BBB Wise Giving Alliance or GuideStar, tools that help confirm whether a charity is legitimate and accountable.

   
   

5. How long has this charity been around?

   Longevity shouldn’t be the final say in your charity evaluation checklist. After all, plenty of brand-new charities are doing innovative work! But an established track record does show that they’ve been around enough to understand the needs of the community deeply and have the infrastructure to keep helping. So make visiting a charity’s About Us or History page part of your due diligence. In our case, United Way of Greater Atlanta has been active for over a century, making it among the most knowledgeable and best charities to donate to in Greater Atlanta.

Is United Way a good charity investment overall?

So, should you give to United Way? We’re proud to say that United Way of Greater Atlanta offers the transparency, accreditation, longevity, and clear mission you’d expect from good charities to donate to. 

If the idea of vetting a nonprofit yourself feels overwhelming, we have a solution for that too. Our Child Well-Being Mission Fund supports dozens of programs supporting education, employment opportunities, economic mobility, housing initiatives, and health access across our region. For more than 100 years, we’ve worked alongside partners, studied community needs, and gathered the data that shows where investments can make the most difference.  

When you give to United Way of Greater Atlanta, you’re actually supporting dozens of local, trusted partner charities that check every box on this charity evaluation checklist—and improve the outlook for kids, families, and the communities that surround them.  Because at the end of the day, trusting a charity is about feeling confident that your dollars will go toward something meaningful.   

If resources like this are helpful, sign up to stay connected with United Way of Greater Atlanta for more ways to support the causes you care about, and to see how together, generosity can make a big impact.