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I target all of my donations.
A couple of years ago I decided to get rid of all of my fly fishing gear. I asked my fishing buddies and found a kids camp in Montana that could use the gear as part of their programs, and was happy to ship it to them.
I give clothing in good condition. Sometimes Salvation Army, but I’d rather take it to the homeless shelter or shelters for abused women, etc. Gets directly to the people that need it that way.
I give money as others have mentioned to organizations that do good work and have minimal overhead. I like local organizations that I can walk into and talk to. Board or volunteer service with these is a good option, too. A long-time favorite is big brothers big sisters local group. Several local groups support veterans, especially with injuries or mental issues. I favor those.
When an employee is injured or there is something else like that, I give to the family. No tax deduction usually, but I like to think it helps them out.
Finally, I value arts and give to arts organizations that I like. I often disagree with their political views but IMO arts should be provocative and make me think, so I support them.
Almost always the case that my giving is local as a result of the above. I’ve done occasional disaster giving, like to Red Cross, but there seems to be a lot of waste and I’ve been able to find better ways to get money/stuff directly to where it is needed (my industry groups often have contacts).
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