For those who used to work for the federal govt, it was the United Way method. The United Way said you could target your gifts, but in actuality, they would tell you your contribution was targeted, but you never had the numbers to show that. In short, you didn't know how the sausage was made.
I was with the federal govt for 28 years, and would not contribute via United Way. My wife and I gave to those charities we chose directly. Thus, we knew where our donations went.
We also used CharityNavigator prior to contributing, to see what the administrative costs and corporate salaries are for a charity. Also, we try to give locally vice to the main charities, because many times, when you give to the charity HQ, it never trickles down. But, that's just us.