WO2002039350A1

WO2002039350A1 - Charitable giving method and information system

Info

Publication number: WO2002039350A1
Application number: PCT/US2000/031182
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert Hamilton
Original assignee: Powertwo, Inc.
Priority date: 2000-11-13
Filing date: 2000-11-13
Publication date: 2002-05-16
Also published as: AU2001216577A1

Abstract

An improved charitable giving method and system (20) which organizes a vast amount of selected charitable organizations into Charitable Sector Fund Categories (24) and Sector Fund Types (26), in such a way that desired charitable organizations can be easily researched, accessed and donated to. The charitable giving method of the present invention allows for this type of donation to be done electronically. In particular, the world wide web can be used to provide communication to a national consumer audience and the use of E-commerce technology to significantly reduce the cost of processing contributions.

Description

CHARITABLE GIVING METHOD AND INFORMATION SYSTEM

Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to information systems, and in particular, to an information system and method for organizing and accommodating charitable giving to one or more charitable organizations using the world wide web.

Background of the Invention

There are a number of conventional ways to facilitate charitable giving. Traditionally, one would be to give directly to a charitable organization with which there is familiarity or contact. Another way of giving is to buy a good or service from an organization, which would then contribute a percentage of the purchase price to selected charitable organizations. And, with the evolvement of the world wide web, charitable giving has, of course, began to take place via this medium. The traditional method of giving to a charitable organization which solicits and receives donations directly can prove to have a great number of costs involved to the charitable organization itself. Such costs associated with receiving and handling donations include the labor and costs of soliciting and/or receiving such donations, the cost of handling the donated funds, and the cost of providing receipts to donors. Furthermore, donors to charitable organizations are most often solicited for donations in situations where the donors are presented with a single choice of either donating or not donating to a single, particular charitable organization. Accordingly, it would be useful to provide a method and system in which potential donors are presented with a number of different options for the recipient of their donation.

Corporations also do not have an economically efficient mechanism to publicly support or associate themselves with a particular charity. The corporations are basically resigned to advertising such, which can amount to vast sums of money just to promote their donations to, and associations with, charitable organizations. Existing systems that assist in charitable giving typically merely provide brief information on select non-profit organizations and then refer prospective donors to the individual non-profit organizations themselves for further information and the act of the donation. With a vast number of LRS-regulated charitable organizations, approximately 650,000, this method does not provide much insight and assistance into the various existing charities, what their cause is, their efficacy toward that cause, and the ability to easily donate to that charity. In other words, information regarding, and the ability to donate instantly to, charities which give to particular causes is not readily available in an easily accessible, instantaneous and secure format.

Accordingly, a need exists for a charitable giving method that will enable a charitable organization to reduce solicitation, receiving and handling costs. Further, there is a need for a charitable giving method that will enable corporations to donate to, and promote, their favorite charities easily and efficiently, perhaps by matching consumer donations, while still promoting their products and/or themselves in association with charitable work. Also, a need exists for a charitable giving method which will give a donor easy access in one setting to the type or types of charities he wishes to research and/or donate to. Also, a need exists for a donor to have the ability to donate to one or more of those desired charities in one medium, with third party confirmation that such donation has been made to the proper charities' accounts. Summary of the Invention

Generally, the present invention relates to an information system and method for organizing and accommodating charitable giving to one or more charitable organizations. The method generally includes electronically providing a list of charitable categories, one or more charitable fund types corresponding to each charitable category, and a list of charitable organizations corresponding to each charitable fund type under each charitable category.

One embodiment for a system of the charitable giving method of the present invention allows for this type of donation to be done via a communications network, such as the world wide web. In particular, the world wide web can be used to provide communication to a global consumer audience and the use of E-commerce technology to significantly reduce the cost of processing contributions. The charitable giving method of the present invention organizes a vast number of selected charitable organizations into Charitable Sector Fund Categories. This results in the charitable organizations being classified into a manageable number of Charitable Sector Fund Categories for the donor to choose from. Each Charitable Sector Fund Category has associated with it a limited number of

Charitable Sector Fund Types as subclasses, that number dependent on which of the particular pre-determined Sector Fund Types are appropriate under that particular Charitable Sector Fund Category. For example, each Sector Fund Category may be associated with one or more of the following pre-determined Sector Fund Types: Scientific and technical; Awareness, education, and advocacy; Nolunteer support; and/or other appropriate pre-determined Sector Fund Types.

Under each appropriate Charitable Sector Fund Type may be a list of the "Best in Class" charitable organizations that are appropriately classified into that Charitable Sector Fund Type and Charitable Sector Fund Category. For example, each Charitable Sector Fund Type of each Charitable Sector Fund Category can feature groups of specialized charities that support the best, leading-edge work in that particular area of interest. This "Best in Class" list can be developed upon the evaluation of pre-determined criteria by independent third parties. A weighted assessment system based on multiple criteria may periodically be graded by independent professional sources. The criteria, for example, may be: (a) Efficacy; (b) Financial Effectiveness; (c) Scope and Scale; (d) Staff and Resources Depth; and (e) Past Successes. There will then also be additional detailed information available on each individual charitable organization listed for the donor to become more familiar with any chosen charity. After the desired charitable organizations have been located, a donation amount is submitted by one of several various methods, such as credit card, debit card, checks or stock transfer. If more than one charitable organization is selected for donation, the donation will be prorated equally among the selected organizations, or at a percentage split as directed by the donor. Immediate confirmation is made of the transaction to the donor. And, upon receipt by the selected charitable organization of the donation, confirmation by a third party may be made of receipt of the donation by the selected charitable organization, and subsequent confirmation to the donor of such receipt.

A Donor Account Summary can be issued to the donor summarizing the donations made by the donor over time, for use by the donor in both charitable planning and IRS verification.

A system of the present invention may be used in a dynamic and interactive computing environment, such as on-line in the world wide web environment. A donor accessing the web site for the first time is presented with a list of Charitable Sector Fund Categories. The donor then selects a Charitable Sector Fund Category and is given a list of Charitable Sector Fund Types to choose from. The donor then selects a Charitable Sector Fund Type or, in the alternative, can select from a list of "Other Notable Charities" in that Charitable Sector Fund Category. If the donor selects a Charitable Sector Fund Type, a list of "Best in Class" charitable organizations will be presented to choose from. Additional detailed information will then be available on each individual charitable organization listed for the donor to become more familiar with any chosen charity.

Once a selection of one or more charitable organizations is made, the donor then enters an amount of donation. The donor is then prompted to finalize the account transaction by entering personal information such as name, address, e-mail address, and payment method. The payment method can be by such methods as a credit card, debit card, checks or stock transfer. If more than one charitable organization is selected, the donation is prorated over the selected organizations, or at a percentage split as directed by the donor. A secure e-commerce software can capture the donation. Disbursement takes place to the pre-determined charitable bank accounts of the selected charitable organizations. An e-mail confirming the transaction is sent to the donor. Another e-mail confirmation is sent to the donor at the time of deposit into the respective charitable organization's predetermined bank account. A donor can receive a 'Donor Account Summary', which is available on the web site via a PTN access code. Such Donor Account Summary can also be created by specialized secure software establishing a time and category-based account summary of Charitable Sector Fund contributions by the donor for use in both charitable planning and IRS verification. The Donor Account Summary can help the user take control of and organize charitable givings. The PIN access code is typically given to the donor after a first donation has been made. This PIN access code can then be used in subsequent donations for identification purposes, therefore eliminating the requirement of the donor to enter other identifying information, such as name, address, etc., everytime the system is used.

The charitable giving method of the present invention is advantageous to both the charitable organizations and the donor, as well as corporations. The charities are able to reduce costs of current fund raising methods, as well as the cost of handling donations. The charities will also have increased corporate and foundation participation by simply agreeing to be represented on the web site. Selected corporate and foundation partners will be promoting their support for various charities by offering specific benefits such as: (a) coupon and certificate savings "Thank You" benefits supporting specific sector contributions; (b) doubling the donation; or (c) percentage increase of the donation, e.g., 10%, 20%, etc... . This all resulting in increased individual per capita giving for selected charities.

The donors are able to make a better, more informed choice, by having centralized infoπnation on a broad cross-section of selected charitable organizations giving options, along with detailed information on each of the organizations, acting as an educational resource. Donors will have the convenience of having a wide array of information on selected charitable organizations all on one portal site. The donor will have powerful analytical tools to compare performance of the charitable organizations, as well as being able to make contributions twenty-four hours a day. The donor will have control over their giving, by having access to a secure, permanent contribution account that keeps records of all their charitable contributions, while also offering an expanded ability to utilize corporate/foundation matching programs, or "Thank You" benefits, or percentage increase benefits.

While the system hereinbefore described is effectively adapted to fulfill the aforesaid, it is to be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific preferred embodiments of either a charitable giving business method or a charitable giving system and method on the world wide web set forth above. Rather, it is to be taken as including all reasonable equivalents to the subject matter of the appended claims. In sum, the present invention represents a significant improvement over the prior art methods of charitable giving and sector funds in many ways. The business method and system of charitable giving in accordance with the present invention allows for readily accessible, informative information, along with efficient handling of the donations, and overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description and accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing the organization of a vast number of charitable organizations into multiple levels of sector funds;

FIG. 2 illustrates the steps of a donation transaction according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates the steps of a potential donor's first donation transaction in an on-line environment; and

FIG. 4 illustrates one possible embodiment of a networking environment. While the present invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is applicable to a variety of methods and systems to organize a vast amount of information, and enable a user to efficiently obtain and utilize particular classifications and information pertaining to their individual desired interests. The logical operations of the various embodiments of the present invention are implemented (1) as a sequence of computer implemented steps running on a computing system and/or (2) as interconnected machine modules within the computing system. The implementation is a matter of choice dependent on the performance requirements of the computing system implementing the invention. Accordingly, the logical operations making up the embodiments of the present invention described herein are referred to variously as operations, steps or modules. The present invention is a charitable giving method and system, wherein charitable organizations are organized according to sector funds, which help to facilitate a donation, and subsequent confirmation of that donation, to a selected one or more charitable organizations. Refer now to the flow chart of FIG. 1, which shows an overview of the organization 20 of a vast number of charitable organizations into multiple levels of sector funds. What can be a voluminous number of charitable organizations 22 are evaluated to come up with Charitable Sector Funds Categories 24. The Charitable Sector Funds Categories 24 define a manageable and descriptive list of categories into which individual charities may fall. In one embodiment of the invention, there are forty Charitable Sector Funds Categories 24. Moreover, an individual charity may be properly classified into more than one Charitable Sector Funds Category.

Each Charitable Sector Funds Category 24 can be further categorized into Charitable Sector Fund Types 26. In one embodiment of the present invention, extensive evaluation of such factors as the purpose, function, and action of individual charities resulted in a finding of three specific areas of activity for charities, i.e. Charitable Sector Fund Types. The resulting Charitable Sector Fund Types, for example, may be: (i) Scientific and Technical; (ii) Awareness, Education, and Advocacy; and (iii) Nolunteer support 27. Accordingly, the individual charities will fall into at least one specific Charitable Sector Funds Category 24 and then fall into at least one of that Category's Charitable Sector Fund Types 26. Consequently, the proper Charitable Sector Fund Types 26, anywhere from one to all of the predetermined Sector Fund Types, are listed under each Charitable Sector Funds Category.

The next order of classification includes the listing of the individual charitable organizations themselves 28. Under each Sector Fund Category's Charitable Sector Fund Types 26 is a listing of the proper individual charitable organizations. This listing, as is evident, could be quite voluminous. Therefore, a narrowing system has been developed to assist in finding a desired, or a desired type, of charity. This further narrowing system is titled "Best in Class" 30. Each Sector Fund Type 26 (under each Category) will feature the group of specialized charities, preferably three to ten, supporting the best, leading-edge work in that area of interest, preferably as evaluated by independent third parties. For example, a weighted assessment system based on multiple criteria has been developed to determine the "Best in Class". This weighted assessment system is typically periodically graded by independent professional sources, based on developed criteria such as: (a) Efficacy; (b) Financial effectiveness; (c) Scope and scale; (d) Staff and resources depth; and (e) Past successes. Further, each individual charitable organization listed preferably has available additional detailed information pertaining to the specific characteristics and activities of that charity (not shown).

FIG. 2 shows the method of a typical charitable giving act utilizing the method of the present invention. Initially, rather than one particular charitable organization, or a voluminous number of charitable organizations, a list of

Charitable Sector Funds Categories is presented to a potential donor 50. The donor, upon evaluation of the list of Charitable Sector Funds Categories, selects a Charitable Sector Funds Category 52. As discussed above, a corresponding list of at least one of the pre-determined Charitable Sector Fund Types is then presented to the donor for selection 54. These may be, for example, pre-determined to be (i) Scientific and Technical, (ii) Awareness, Education, and Advocacy; and (iii) Nolunteer support. Also given to the donor for alternative selections are a listing of individual charitable organizations under the heading of "Other Notable Charities" 56. This includes a list of charitable organizations which appropriately fit into the selected Sector Fund Category, but are not listed under any of the Sector Fund Types because they did not qualify for the "Best in Class".

The donor then selects either a Sector Fund Type, or at least one charity from the "Other Notable Charities" listing 57. If the donor selects at least one charity from the "Other Notable Charities" listing 58, selection can be of either one individual charity, more than one individual charity, or the entire listing of "Other Notable Charities". (This will be discussed in further detail with FIG. 3). If the donor selects one of the available Sector Fund Types 62 for that particular Sector Fund Category, then a list of the "Best in Class" charitable organizations 64, as deteπnined by the method set forth above 30 in FIG. 1, is presented to the donor for selection.

The donor then chooses at least one desired charitable organization from the "Best in Class" listing 66. As will be discussed in greater detail with FIG. 3, the donor typically has the option of choosing an individual charitable organization, more than one charitable organization (which would comprise a sub-component of the Sector Fund Type), or the entire sector (which includes all of the individual charitable organizations listed under "Best in Class" of that Sector Fund Type). As discussed earlier, additional detailed information pertaining to the specific characteristics and activities of those chosen charitable organizations is then available 68. The next step is for the donor to enter a donation amount 70. If more than one charitable organization was selected for donation, the donated amount is prorated over the number of selected charitable organizations for donation, or at a percentage split as directed by the donor 72. The donations are then disbursed to each selected charities' bank account 74.

Referring now to the diagram in FIG. 3, which shows the method of a typical charitable giving act outlining the steps of the present invention, and described as it takes place in a preferred embodiment electronically on the world wide web. Generally, in this embodiment as is known in the art (FIG. 4), a server 100 is in data communication with a communications network 102 and is configured to post web pages that a computer can access and view on a computer 104 at a remote location. The entire collection of web documents that are linked together and accessible through a communications network is called the world wide web. A web page is typically created from an HTML document 106, which is a set of code in a text file. The HTML document 106 controls the presentation and display of information on the computer 104.

FIG. 3 is representative of a transaction wherein the potential donor is accessing the web site, featuring the present invention system, for the first time 80. The donor is first presented with a list of Charitable Sector Fund Categories 82, typically approximately forty. The donor then chooses the desired Sector Fund Category under which he wishes to further research and be educated regarding charitable activities and/or wishes to make a donation 84. The corresponding list of at least one Charitable Sector Fund Types (preferably anywhere from one to three of the pre-detennined Sector Fund Types of: (i) Scientific and Technical, (ii) Awareness, Education, and Advocacy; and (iii) Nolunteer Support) is then presented to the donor for selection 86. Also given to the donor for alternative selections are a listing of individual charitable organizations under the heading of "Other Notable Charities" 88. This list, as discussed earlier, includes a list of charitable organizations which appropriately fit into the selected Sector Fund Category, but are not listed under any of the Sector Fund Types because they did not qualify for the "Best in Class".

Selecting from the options 89, if the donor chooses not to select a Sector Fund Type, the donor may now select from the list of "Other Notable Charities" 90. The donor will have the options to select either one individual charity, more than one individual charity, or the entire listing of "Other Notable Charities." In the alternative, the donor may select one of the available Sector Fund Types 94 for that particular Sector Fund Category. If so, a corresponding list of the "Best in Class" charitable organizations for that Sector Fund Type is presented to the donor for selection 96. Once again, typically the donor will have the options of choosing, from the list of "Best in Class", either one individual charity, more than one individual charity (which would comprise a sub-component of the Sector Fund

Type), or the entire Sector Fund Type (which includes all of the organizations listed as "Best in Class"). Again, among these options, the donor selects at least one individual charity of his choosing 98. Detailed information pertaining to such things as those selected charities' characteristics and activities can be presented to the donor 100. The donor now is in a much-informed position on whether or not he wishes to donate to those particular charities 102, and has arrived at that point through a logical, educational, and efficient manner.

Upon being prompted for a decision on whether or not the donor wishes to donate to any of those selected charities 102, if the donor selects not to, the donor receives the option of selecting another charity 104 for review and possible donation. If the donor does wish to select another charity for review and possible donation, the donor is returned to the list of the Charitable Sector Funds Categories 82 to begin the process over again from that point 82. If the donor does not wish to select another charity for review and possible donation, the system will review whether or not one or more charities have previously been selected for donation 106. If the donor has gone through the system such as to already have selected a charitable organization to donate to, the donor will be prompted for a donation amount 112, which process will be discussed in further detail below. However, if one or more charities have not previously been selected for donation, the donor will typically be given the option of giving through a Charitable Giving Trust 107. This method would create a trust, which would be controlled by an independent third party, and would allow the donor the opportunity to give now, activating an immediate tax benefit, while deciding later which charitable organization to donate to. The donor would then enter a donation amount 108 if the option to give to a Charitable Giving Trust is chosen. If the option is not chosen, the process will end 109. Of course, the system can be set up so as to allow selection of giving to a Charitable Giving Trust at alternative points within the process.

If, upon being prompted for decision on whether or not the donor wishes to donate to any of those selected charities 102, and that donor does decide to donate to at least one of those particular charities, the donor also has the option of selecting another charity 110 for review and possible donation. If the donor does wish to select another charity for review and possible donation, the donor is returned to the list of the Charitable Sector Funds Categories 82 to begin the process over again from that point 82. If the donor does not wish to select another charity for review and possible donation, the donor is prompted to enter an amount of donation 112. Upon entering an amount of donation 112, the donor will be prompted to enter personal data to finalize the donation transaction 114. Such requested information may include such items as donor's name, address, e-mail address, and payment method. The system would preferably be set up to accept payment methods such as a credit card, a debit card, a check, or stock transfer.

If there has been more than one charity selected to receive a donation 118, the donated amount will be prorated over the number of selected charitable organizations, or at a percentage split as directed by the donor 120. If there has not been more than one charitable organization selected to receive a donation 118, there is no need for the amount to be prorated or split.

The donor will receive an email confirming the transaction, along with information that the process of the donation amount transfers has started 121. Also included in that confirmation email will be a PLN (personal identification number) access code uniquely assigned to that particular donor. This PLN access code will enable the donor to complete the process described herein without having to re- renter personal data after the initial donation transaction made by that donor. This would typically be done by having the donor begin the process described herein by providing a PLN access code when accessing the web site.

Subsequently, the proper amount assigned to be donated to each selected charitable organization is then disbursed to those selected charities' bank accounts 122. These transfers are preferably electronically done into the respective bank accounts of the selected charitable organizations, set up through prior negotiated relationships between each charitable organization and the administrator of the present invention method and system.

Once the selected charitable organization(s) receives the donated amount into its respective bank account, verification of the receipt of the donation by the selected charitable organization into its bank account is made, preferably by a third party, and an e-mail is sent to the donor, preferably from the system administrator, confirming such receipt 124.

The donor is then prompted on whether or not the donor wishes to receive a "Donor Account Summary" 126. If the donor does not wish to receive a Donor Account Summary, the process will end 128. If the donor does wish to receive a Donor Account Summary, such will then be emailed to the donor 130. This Donor Account Summary can be created by specialized secure software establishing a time and category-based account summary of Charitable Sector Fund contributions by the donor, and can be useful to the donor in ways such as charitable planning and IRS verification. The process will then end 128. Of course, this prompting for a Donor Account Summary can be set up so to occur at alternative points within the process by a Donor entering its PLN assess code. In an alternative embodiment, when the donor is presented with a list of Charitable Sector Funds Categories to choose from 82, the donor may choose to locate and select a charitable organization in another way which may be offered by the present invention. Such method may be by utilizing Geographical Sectors, wherein charitable organizations are defined by regional parameters, such as by zip code. Another method may be by a Disaster Fund Sector, where charitable organizations that are participating in major global and/or regional disasters are listed accordingly, and are updated to remain current. Another such method may be by Balanced Sectors, where a percentage of charity participation within the sector funds is determined by balancing the weighing of the category mix. Another such method may be by Donor Choice Funds, wherein the sector charity mix is determined by donor research that identifies the current top ten charitable causes determined, by say, a quarterly Gallop poll for the current top ten issues (i.e., cancer, Alzheimer's, gun control, etc.). Another such method may be by Top Ten Funds, where the sector is comprised of the top ten largest charitable organizations. Another such method may be by Personalized Sector Funds, where the donor individualizes their own sector, consisting of a selection of generally up to five charitable organizations from a predetermined list of, say, one hundred charitable organizations. While the system hereinbefore described is effectively adapted to fulfill the aforesaid objects, it is to be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific preferred embodiments of either a charitable giving business method or an electronic charitable giving system and method on the world wide web as set forth above. Rather, it is to be taken as including all reasonable equivalents to the subject matter of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for organizing and accommodating charitable gifts to selected charitable organizations, the method comprising the steps of: electronically providing a list of charitable categories, wherein each charitable organization is assigned to at least one charitable category based on the area of work the charitable organization is involved in; electronically providing one or more charitable fund types corresponding to each charitable category, wherein each charitable organization assigned to a charitable category is further assigned to one or more charitable fund types based on the organization's characteristics and activities; and electronically providing a list of charitable organizations corresponding to each charitable fund type under each charitable category, wherein the list of charitable organizations corresponding to the fund type of a particular charitable category is a list of the top charitable organizations falling under the particular charitable category and fund type, dynamically created based on pre-determined weighted assessment grading criteria.

2. A method for organizing charitable organizations and charitable donations to the charitable organizations, the method comprising the steps of: providing a list of charitable categories; selecting a charitable category from the list of charitable categories; providing one or more charitable fund types corresponding to the selected charitable category; selecting a charitable fund type from the list of one or more charitable fund types; providing a list of charitable organizations corresponding to the selected charitable fund type; and selecting one or more charitable organizations from the list of charitable organizations.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein each charitable organization is assigned to at least one charitable category based on the area of work the charitable organization is involved in.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein each charitable organization assigned to a charitable category is further assigned to one or more charitable fund types based on the organization's characteristics and activities.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the method further includes providing detailed information on the selected charitable organizations.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the list of charitable organizations corresponding to the fund type of a particular charitable category is a list of the top charitable organizations falling under the particular charitable category and fund type, dynamically created based on pre-determined weighted assessment grading criteria.

7. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the method further includes providing an option to create a charitable giving trust.

8. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the steps are done via electronic communication.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the method further includes submitting a donation amount.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the method further includes either prorating the donation amount over the selected charitable organizations, or percentage splitting the donation amount over the selected charitable organizations, if more than one charitable organization is selected.

11. The method as claimed in 10, wherein the method further includes disbursing the proper donation amount to the selected charitable organizations.

12. A method for accepting charitable donations from a donor, the method comprising the steps of: electronically providing a list of predetermined charitable categories to the donor; allowing the donor to select from the list of charitable categories; electronically providing the donor one or more charitable fund types corresponding to the selected charitable category; allowing the donor to select from the list of one or more charitable fund types; electronically providing the donor a list of charitable organizations corresponding to the selected charitable fund type; and allowing the donor selection of one or more charitable organizations from the list of charitable organizations.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the method further includes allowing the donor to electronically submit a donation amount.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the method further includes either prorating the donation amount over the selected charitable organizations, or percentage splitting the donation amount over the selected charitable organizations, if more than one charitable organization was selected.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the method further includes electronically disbursing the proper amount of donation to each selected charitable organization.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the method further includes allowing the donor to finalize the donation by electronically submitting personal data.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the method further includes electronically confirming the donation to the donor.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the method further includes electronically sending an account summary to the donor.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the method further includes electronically disbursing the proper donation amount to the selected charitable organization via pre-determined charitable bank accounts of each selected charitable organization.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the method further includes electronically confirming receipt, to the donor, of the proper donation amount to the charitable organization.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the method further includes electronically confirming receipt, to the donor, of the proper donation amount to the charitable organization via a third party.

22. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the method further includes electronically providing the donor an option to create a charitable giving trust.

23. A computer storage medium readable by a computing system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process for organizing charitable organizations, said computer process comprising the steps of: electronically providing a list of charitable categories, wherein each charitable organization is assigned to at least one charitable category based on the area of work the charitable organization is involved in; electronically providing one or more charitable fund types corresponding to each charitable category, wherein each charitable organization assigned to a charitable category is further assigned to one or more charitable fund types based on the organization's characteristics and activities; and electronically providing a list of charitable organizations corresponding to each charitable fund type under each charitable category, wherein the list of charitable organizations corresponding to the fund type of a particular charitable category is a list of the top charitable organizations falling under the particular charitable category and fund type, dynamically created based on pre-determined weighted assessment grading criteria.

24. A charitable donation selection and receiving apparatus for the selection and donation of charitable donations, the apparatus comprising: a list module initializing a list of charitable categories; a query module detecting a selection of a charitable category from the list of charitable categories; a list module initializing a list of one or more charitable fund types corresponding to the selected charitable category; a query module detecting a selection of a charitable fund type from the list of one or more charitable fund types; a list module initializing a list of charitable organizations conesponding to the selected charitable fund type; and a query module detecting a selection of a charitable organization from the list of charitable organizations.