How to choose a charity when you can't decide

The easiest way in is through your own life. Most people come to a charity in one of five ways. Read these and notice which one tugs at you.

• Something you've been through. An illness, a hard time, or help you got when you needed it. People often give back to the kind of charity that was there for them.
• Someone you care about. A parent with dementia, a friend who lost a baby, a child with a disability. Giving in their name can mean a lot to them, and to you.
• Where you live. The food bank in your town, the youth club down the road, the hospice your neighbours talk about. You may see the difference yourself.
• Something in the news or the world. Homelessness, the climate, animals, people fleeing war. If one keeps coming back to you, that's a good sign.
• Still no idea. That's fine too. Think about what made you want to give today. That's usually the place to start.

These are the same five ways in that our charity finder starts with. Pick the one that fits and it asks a few short questions, then searches the whole register for you.

"Mental health" or "children" is a big area, with thousands of charities in each. Try to say who you'd like to help and what you'd like to change. "Young people with anxiety who are waiting for help" or "carers looking after someone with dementia at home" will lead you to a handful of charities instead of thousands.

It's fine to care about lots of things. Giving to one or two that matter most is easier to keep up, and you're more likely to hear what your money did.

Most charities are small and local, and they're the hardest to find because they can't pay for adverts. About 7 in 10 registered charities have an income under £100,000 a year. For them, a gift of £20 or £50 can pay for a session, a food parcel or a volunteer's travel.

Put in your postcode or town on Charities near me to see how many are based near you and what they do. We also have a page for each of the biggest towns and cities, like charities in Bristol, Leeds and Cardiff.

Once you have a few names, read what each one says it does. Its own website and its entry on the register both describe its work. Look for the plain, specific things: a weekly group, a helpline, home visits, research into one condition.

Some questions worth asking:

• Can I picture what my money would pay for?
• Does it work with the people I'd like to help, in the place I'd like to help?
• Does it tell me what it's done recently, in a newsletter, a report or on social media?

Running costs come up a lot. Every charity pays for some staff, rent and phones, and that's how the work gets done. A charity's accounts show what it spent and on what, and a small charity will usually answer a friendly email asking what a gift would do.

In England and Wales, a charity with an income over £5,000 a year has to register with the Charity Commission. Search the register of charities by name or charity number. You'll see what the charity does, who its trustees are, and whether its latest accounts are in on time.

If someone asks you for money in the street, on your doorstep or online, look for the charity's name and registered number, and check them on the register before you give. The Fundraising Regulator has more tips for giving safely, and it's where you can go if something about a fundraiser doesn't feel right.

Charities based in Scotland are on the Scottish Charity Register, and those in Northern Ireland on the Northern Ireland register.

You can give once, or set up a small monthly gift. Monthly gifts help a charity plan ahead, even if they're only a few pounds.

If you pay UK tax, tick the Gift Aid box. The charity can then claim an extra 25p for every £1 you give, at no cost to you.

Money isn't the only way. Most small charities run on volunteers, and an hour a week can matter as much as a donation.