The Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Information site provides many useful resources related to charities including a page of tips to help make sure that your charitable contributions actually go to the cause you support, a list of known scam alerts, and an article describing what to do before giving to a charity.
The Internal Revenue Service provides information on federal tax exemption and best practices for public charities. In addition, the IRS Exempt Organizations Select Check is an online search tool that allows users to search for and select an exempt organization and check certain information about its federal tax status and filings. Also, Federal Tax Obligations of Non-Profit Corporations hosts forms, publications, and other information on obtaining and maintaining federal tax exemption.