Americans gave almost two hundred fifty thousand million dollars to charity

Americans gave almost two hundred fifty thousand million dollars to charity in 2004. It was a five percent(26)increase to a new record for giving in the United States. The(27)estimates are from the Giving USA Foundation. The group says about seventy to eighty percent of Americans give(28)yearly to at least one charity.
    Charities are non-profit organizations. They might(29)raise money to provide services, or to support the social good.
     (30)Individuals provide about seventy-five percent of all donations. The largest(31)share of charitable giving goes to religious groups. More than thirty-five percent of all giving in 2004 went to religious organizations. Some Americans give a(32)percentage of their pay to(33)religious groups.
    Schools and(34)other education-related organizations were second on the list. They received about thirteen percent of all charitable giving in 2004.
    Many people want to know how their gifts are being spent. They want to be sure the money is not wasted or misused.
    There are(35)organizations that examine how charities spend the money they receive. Such groups provide reports or ratings that measure how effectively charities spend money.
    Charity Navigator says seventy percent of the groups it studies use at least three-fourths of their money to support their causes. Charities that spend too much on administrative or operating costs are not considered to be(36)carrying out their purpose.
    Charity-rating groups get information from a tax document called Form Nine-Ninety. Charities are not taxed, but they must report their financial information each year to the Internal Revenue Service.