Find out what percentage of your online donation goes to the charity, and decide for yourself if the figure is reasonable. E-giving sites vary widely in how much of a fee, if any, they subtract from your donation before sending it on to your selected charity. The fee can range from 0 percent to as much as 20 percent of a donation. If you can't easily find this information on the site, that should raise a red flag.
    

Consult a tax or legal advisor about the tax deductibility of your online donation. E-giving is a relatively uncharted area of tax law. According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, charitable gifts made via sites run by nonprofit organizations will probably qualify for deductions, but the IRS has not issued any formal guidance about donations made through a site run by a for-profit company. Some for-profit giving sites are trying to get around any potential problems by arranging for nonprofit organizations to accept donations for them. If you buy goods at a charity shopping site, you often cannot deduct the charitable contribution that results from your purchase.
    

Contact the nonprofit recipient of your online donation before making the gift, to verify that the organization is comfortable with receiving donations from a particular site. Some e-giving sites list nonprofits without their prior knowledge or consent, and a charity may not even be aware that a site is accepting donations on its behalf.   
    

Give through a charity's own website, if one exists. Contact your favorite nonprofits to see if they operate their own websites for accepting online donations. Then you know that your donation will go directly to the organization.
     

Know your rights. The Association of Fundraising Professionals developed an "E-Donor Bill of Rights" to identify what donors should expect and demand when making an online charitable gift. AFP believes that the basic principles for the E-Donor Bill of Rights should contain, at a minimum, the following donor rights:
     

• To be clearly and immediately informed of the organization's name, identity, nonprofit or for-profit status, mission and purpose when first accessing the organization's website

• To have easy and clear access to alternative contact information other than through the website or e-mail

• To be assured that all third-party logos, trademarks, trustmarks and other identifying, sponsoring and/or endorsing symbols displayed on the website are accurate, justified, up-to-date and clearly explained

• To be informed of whether or not a contribution entitles the donor to a tax deduction, and of all limits on such deduction based on applicable laws

• To be assured that all online transactions and contributions occur through a safe, private and secure system that protects the donor's personal information

• To be clearly informed if a contribution goes directly to the intended charity or is held by or transferred through a third party

• To have easy and clear access to an organization's privacy policy posted on its website and be clearly and unambiguously informed about what information an organization is gathering about the donor and how that information will be used

• To be clearly informed of opportunities to "opt-out" of data lists that are sold, shared, rented or transferred to other organizations

• To not receive unsolicited communications or solicitations unless the donor has "opted-in" to receive such materials