Charity organizations are instrumental in helping the disenfranchised. Unfortunately, many of the country’s disenfranchised tend to be those who have done the most serving it. Servicemen put their lives at risk so that we today can enjoy the freedoms we have, and so that other countries can have them too.

But what happens when these soldiers come home? Oftentimes, they are deeply traumatized by what they’ve had to see or do during their deployment. They may have physical or emotional injuries that require healing. They may have difficulty readjusting to what used to be their normal lives.

And what’s more, things have changed while they’ve been gone, too. Family members have had to take on more responsibility, and they’ve had to deal with their emotional trauma since the deployment.

All of these factors can make it incredibly difficult to readjust when troops and veterans return home. Charity organizations exist to help in this specific situation. But what charities are best to donate to? And how do you tell a good charity from a bad one?

The good news is that, while some charities are less than stellar in terms of the services they provide, with today’s technology it’s easier than ever to research a charity and make sure your money is going to a good place. There are lots of great resources online that can tell you whether a charity is good or bad or just middling, and that will help you decide whether it’s worth donating any money to them.

One of the best online review sites for charities in Charity Navigator. As the name implies, they will help you navigate charities to help you see which ones are the best. They even have a curated list of charities specifically for the military and for veterans. These charities include ones that help veterans and troops injured in combat, that help provide the needs of soldiers and veterans, and that assist servicemen and veterans as well as their families with housing, financial support, and education.

Charity Navigator uses a four-star rating system, and rate charities by a few factors.

The first factor is the financial factor. Charity Navigator determines charities’ financial scores based on how much of their money goes to the services they provide versus how much of the money goes to their administrative costs.

All charities have administrative needs and costs, so it’s completely normal for some amount of donations to go towards these necessities. However, it shouldn’t be the majority of their income. All of Charity Navigator’s most highly-rated charities for the military and veterans have very high financial scores, usually upwards of 90%. This means that very little of their donations are going towards administrative costs and that the vast majority is going towards providing the services they were founded giving to soldiers and veterans.

When you look at each charity’s page on Charity Navigator, you can scroll down to their “Financial Performance Metrics” chart. This chart breaks down each charity’s financials even further for you, so you can see exactly what percentage of donations are going where.

The other factor Charity Navigator uses to rate charities is by their accountability and their transparency. These are two incredibly important words when it comes to charities. You want to choose a charity that is not only able to willing to justify its actions, show responsibility, and change if need be. You also want any given charity to be fully transparent with what it’s doing, both in terms of the money it’s using and the people it’s helping.

If you’re looking for charities to donate to through Charity Navigator, look for the ones that have the highest transparency and financial ratings. This will ensure that you’re donating to charities that will put the money they receive towards the services they say they provide. It will also make sure that you’re donating to charities who are accountable, who value the people they work with and the people who work for them, and that they’ll be willing to change and grow as the world around them changes and grows, too.

Wanting to support the country’s troops is a noble goal, and donating to charities is one of the best ways to do that. Unfortunately, not all charities do what they say they do, and even those that do don’t necessarily do it well. Charity review websites like Charity Navigator help people determine what the best charities to donate to are. They also help soldiers, veterans, and their families decide which charities are best to get help from.

If you’re wanting to donate today, check out Charity Navigator’s curated list of charities built to help soldiers and veterans. The money is always appreciated, and you’ll be sure to make a difference in someone’s life.