South Carolina Secretary of State Mark Hammond has released the thirteenth-annual “Scrooges and Angels” list.

Angels are groups that collect money for charities and spend more than 80% of donations on their causes, and scrooges are groups where less than 40% goes to charity.

You can get all the details and names in this press release.

But, let me make this clear: The state’s lowest-listed group, the “Foundation for American Veterans” of Michigan only contributes 7.6 cents of every dollar you give to the cause. You would be better off spending 50 cents on a 42-cent stamp, and sticking the remaining 8 cents into an envelope.

Crazy.

But, on the flip side of that, all these groups make sure more than 90% of what they take gets to the cause: Animal Protection League of SC, Inc., Hopkins, SC; Careteam, Inc., Myrtle Beach; Country Santa, Pickens; Experience Works, Inc., Arlington, VA; Fatherhood & Families Engagement, Florence; Golden Harvest Food Bank, Inc., Augusta, GA; and Outreach Farm, Inc., Pawleys Island.

Back in October, I called attention to one local’s efforts to help folks know before they give.

In a nutshell: Before you give it, ask how your money will be spent.

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