Those interested in supporting relief efforts in Iraq should do their charitable investment homework, says Suzanne Coffman, spokeswoman with GuideStar, a nonprofit that gathers and disseminates information on U.S. charities. There are some 850,000 nonprofit organizations in the U.S., with about 20 currently accepting donations for relief efforts in Iraq, according to a list published at NetworkforGood (www.networkforgood.org).

To help sort through your choices, consider the following:

1) Assess what type of aid activity you'd like to support. The possibilities range from emergency services for providing food, drinking water and medicine, to longer-term projects aimed at increasing the level of medical services, building schools, or helping villages become self-sustaining.

You'll also need to decide between organizations that undertake many emergency services and those that focus on supporting by providing medicine. Web sites such as GuideStar and JustGive provide information on agencies' goals. .

2) Make sure the agency is specific about what it hopes to accomplish and what it's managed to do in the past. "Organizations that are doing good work usually can quantify that work," Coffman said. "As opposed to 'ease hunger,' (the agency should say) ‘feed X number of people a day,'" she said. "Or, instead of "improve literary in Iraq,' how about 'provide school materials to X number of villages or provide literacy training to X number of schools.'"

3) Assess the charity's financial health. There are a number of Web sites that post charities' Form 990, which details their annual financial picture. Look at the program's expense ratio to see how much of your donation will go to administrative costs versus program activities. However, be wary when comparing charities based on this number. The expense ratio "is certainly a legitimate thing to look at, but you have to compare organizations that do the same kind of work," Coffman said, noting that a medical-services provider in Iraq may have much higher administrative expenses than a food provider.

Web sites that provide charities' financial information and Web site addresses include GuideStar (www.guidestar.org), JustGive (www.justgive.org), Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org), the American Institute for Philanthropy (www.charitywatch.org), the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance (www.give.org), and Ministry Watch (www.ministrywatch.org), which focuses on Christian ministries.

4) If you have any lingering doubts, call the agency. "If I make a call like that I say, 'I'm thinking of giving to your organization but I have some questions,'" Coffman said. "That's another way to judge the agency: Are they willing to share that information with you? Most reputable nonprofits know that the tradeoff for being tax exempt is being open and accountable and being willing to explain to donors."

Sad to say, but true, the con artists are out there in droves. Do not give to telemarketers who will not send you information through the mail, or who are not listed on the websites above. And never give to any charity which wants to pick up your check at home. Never.