Each year, Charity Navigator compiles a list of which American cities' major local charities perform the best and ensure that donors' money actually ends up going to the intended cause.
Last year, Miami came in first place. This year, the Magic City fell a bit, to sixth out of the 30 metro areas considered, but our charities still seem to be doing well financially.
The study took into account the region's 35 largest charities (which includes Alonzo Mourning Charities, Best Buddies International, Miami City Ballet, and University of Miami) and found that on average, the city's charities do a good job of putting their money into programs: 83.4 percent of every dollar goes to program expenses, higher than the national average of 81.1 percent.
Miami charities also excel in keeping fundraising and administrative costs down while still having an above-average rate of contributions.
Charity Navigator also ranks foundations individually. You can see a list of Miami's 35 biggest charity groups here to make sure you're giving your money to programs that will put it to good use.
