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There are multiple examples of reputable and honest charities that use ALL donations to directly help those in need, and that handle administrative tasks using volunteers, or pay for them with other funds to ensure that every dollar in donations is actually used for the stated purpose.
Just one example is LDS Humanitarian Services
"1) 100% of every dollar donated is used to help those in need without regard to race, religion, or ethnic origin, and
  2) Humanitarian Services helps people attain self-sufficiency so they can be self-reliant long after Humanitarian Services departs."

Another poster mentioned Mercury One. There are a bunch of others in the 90+ to 100% range if you look around.

Still, as another poster points out, volunteering can sometimes be more meaningful than monetary contributions.

The problem with many of the online charity rating services is that because information on religious charities isn't easy to access without federal tax reports, they tend to just exclude them, when they also tend to have some of the most cost effective.

An example:
  The humanitarian arm of LDS Philanthropies:

100 percent of all donations go to help those in need. No administrative costs are deducted by LDS Philanthropies or our affiliated charities

They can do that because the church members cover all administrative costs with a different fund and volunteer time separately, so all donations can go to those in need.

If you only care about humanitarian needs, then their approach of helping people in emergencies and also helping people become more self-reliant (clean water, food production, etc...) then donate online.

The best incremental use of your money, IMHO.

The problem with many of the online charity rating services is that because information on religious charities isn't easy to access without federal tax reports, they tend to just exclude them, when they also tend to have some of the most cost effective.

An example:
  The humanitarian arm of LDS Philanthropies:

100 percent of all donations go to help those in need. No administrative costs are deducted by LDS Philanthropies or our affiliated charities

They can do that because the church members cover all administrative costs with a different fund and volunteer time separately, so all donations can go to those in need.

If you only care about humanitarian needs, then their approach of helping people in emergencies and also helping people become more self-reliant (clean water, food production, etc...) then donate online.

The best incremental use of your money, IMHO.

The LDS Church has a very active worldwide charity organization that has provided over $1 billion in humanitarian aid (cash, goods, services) in the past 25 years. The LDS Church itself covers all administrative costs, so 100% of any donation goes to actual use. Here are some of the projects currently being funded. ..bruce..

The LDS Church has a very active worldwide charity organization that has provided over $1 billion in humanitarian aid (cash, goods, services) in the past 25 years. The LDS Church itself covers all administrative costs, so 100% of any donation goes to actual use. Here are some of the projects currently being funded. ..bruce..

Pretty much as efficient as you can get: 100% of the proceeds go to help those in need. The LDS Church doesn't even deduct the cost of administering the donations, so literally *everything* you donate ends up helping the needy.

http://www.ldsphilanthropies.org/ldsp/about/

If you donate online, just enter the amount in the "humanitarian services" field - that goes to disaster relief and other efforts. If you call them you can have it applied more specifically. For example there is a program they are doing to supply wheelchairs to those in need, to help dig water wells to villages in Africa, etc. and you can ask that your money go specifically to one of those programs if you want.

Try Latter-day Saint Charities http://www.ldsphilanthropies.org/humanitarian-services/ Run completely by volunteers. They're the same people you usually see in yellow t-shirts helping to clean up after natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes but they do a lot more than that. And no, the funds don't go to buy tracts to hand out proselyting. They strictly go to those in need.