Last weekend was packed with holiday events, and there are many more to come as Christmas approaches.

But it doesn’t take a scheduled event to spread the cheer.

Christmas is 17 days away, and that’s plenty of time to go out and donate to charities — but do your research first. Not all charities utilize donations in a way that donors think they do.

Of course, some of the profits from donations will go toward keeping the organization active and getting the word out in order to generate more donations in the future. But surely the majority of every dollar donated goes toward the cause, right?

That’s not always the case.

Last year, the Center for Investigative Reporting and the Tampa Bay Times teamed up to compile a list of what they call “America’s Worst Charities.”

That list can be found at www.tampabay.com/americas-worst-charities/.

They found that some of those charities contributed none of their cash donations toward the causes they supposedly support.

Many more only contributed a fraction of a percentage of their total donations.

A disturbingly large number of charities paid solicitors about as much as what the solicitors raised.

Bogus charities have become such a problem that now the Better Business Bureau offers a continuously updated website with tips and details on bad charities at www.give.org.

Donations make the perfect gift for that person on your list who “has everything” or is “just impossible to buy for.”

If you can name it, there is likely a charity for it.

The BBB Wise Giving Alliance offers the following tips to make sure the charity is doing what they say they will do:

1. Get the charity’s exact name. With so many charities out there, mistaken identity is a common problem, according to the BBB. The word “cancer” is in many charity names, but they aren’t all related.

2. Resist pressure to give on the spot, whether from a telemarketer or door-to-door solicitor.

3. Be wary of heart-wrenching appeals — what the charity is actually doing to help the cause is all that matters.

4. Press for specifics — ask how and where their efforts are working.

5. A charity’s mission, program and finances should be available on its website. If not, check for a report at www.give.org.

6. Check with state charity officials. In Wyoming, it’s through the state Attorney General’s office, ag.wyo.gov/ or 307-777-5833 or 1-800-438-5799.

7. Don’t assume that every soliciting organization is tax exempt as a charity. An organization’s tax status can be checked at www.irs.gov/app/eos.

But don’t let this discourage you from donating toward good causes. For every one bad egg in the bunch, there are many more who are working hard to make the world a better place and are very deserving of donations.

And remember, there are many worthy organizations here that could benefit from donations. When you donate locally, you can see your dollars at work.