Web site helps with taxing problem of deciding between charities.

Byline: INSIDE THE OUTDOORS By Mike Stahlberg The Register-Guard

April 15 is an eventful day in Oregon. It provides a first shot at wild turkey gobblers and a last shot at timely filing of income tax returns.

I have no plans to be outwitted this year by a bird with a brain the size of a walnut. So I have plenty of time to work on the family tax return.

I notice our family's largest single charitable contribution again went to United Appeal, the one-stop giving approach. It's quick, it's painless, and someone else gets to do the agonizing over which charities deserve more than others.

It would be nice if there were a similar approach available when it comes to giving money to help wildlife - a United Animal Appeal to review all the available wildlife conservation causes and divvy up donor dollars according to how much good each did, or how pressing the need it addresses.

But there's not.

So we're left to our own devices in deciding among the 74 wildlife conservation charities that have tax-exempt status in the United States, ranging from the American Bird Conservancy to the World Wildlife Fund. Many of these organizations have similar causes:

"Advocating for wildlife for a sustainable world" (WildCare);

"Providing direct protection to wildlife in danger" (Wildlife Alliance);

"Conserving America's wildlife heritage" (Wildlife Forever);

"Protecting nature and safeguarding the ecosystem and human health" (Wildlife Trust);

"Working to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth" (World Wildlife Fund).

Even if one assumes these charities are all equally well-intentioned, they are not all equally efficient. Some spend a higher percentage of their total income on administration, fundraising and other things that are not directly related to helping their "cause."

You can gain some insight into your favorite charities (wildlife or otherwise) at a Web site maintained by an organization called Charity Navigator ("Your Guide to Intelligent Giving") at www.charitynavigator.org.

Charity Navigator provides objective evaluations of the financial health of more than 5,000 charities. It looks at administrative expenses, percentage of funds spent on the charity's main mission and how each charity compares with others working on the same cause. Its ratings are based on the financial data each charity provides to the IRS on Form 990 informational tax returns. That data is used to analyze the charity's financial performance in seven key categories, and points are assigned.

Each charity is then rated on a one- to four-star basis, with four stars being "excellent" and one star "poor."

In the wildlife conservation category, 18 organizations were rated "excellent," 26 were "good," 19 were rated "needs improvement" and 10 were "poor." One (an outfit called Noah's Last Ark) received no stars.

Four-star charities include the National Wild Turkey Federation, Pheasants Forever, The Wild Salmon Center (based in Portland) and the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance.

Those earning three stars include Defenders of Wildlife, Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, the Ruffed Grouse Society and Whitetails Unlimited.

"Needing improvement" were the Boone & Crockett Club, National Wildlife Federation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Safari Club International Foundation, among others.

Among those rated "Poor" were the International Game Fish Association, Quail Unlimited and Wildlife Forever.

The ratings come with a quick link to a detailed breakdowns of each charity's finances - including how much it pays its chief executive officer. (Several wildlife conservation funds pay their top administrator in excess of $300,000 per year.)

If you're concerned about getting the most bang for your charity buck, the Charity Navigator Web site is worth a look.

Mike Stahlberg can be reached at [e-mail].