Many of you have been generous enough to give until it hurts in response to the tragedy in earthquake-stricken Haiti. But how can you be sure your dollars are being spent in the way you think they're being spent?

Too often, we hear about lowlifes operating bogus charities designed not to help ailing Haitians, but to take your hard-earned money out of your pocket. The FBI has put out a special alert about this very danger. Be cautious of phony organizations using imaging that may be similar to legitimate charities.

Then there's the question of donating to organizations that keep low administrative and overhead expenses so the lion's share of your money goes to true relief efforts. The American Institute of Philanthropy has listed the top-rated charities involved in Haitian earthquake relief efforts. Visit CharityWatch.org for the complete rundown.

Meanwhile, the role that text-messaging has played in allowing people to donate during this tragedy has been incredible. Executive producer Christa was one keystroke away from texting a donation when she realized that Clark pays the bill for her work cell phone! So she made a donation at her local grocery store instead.

Finally, cell carriers have had a light shined on their practice of holding donations for months and earning interest on the money before sending it to the intended relief organizations. Some cell industry insiders blew the whistle on this practice to the media, and now the carriers have vowed to expedite all donations they receive.