How much of your donation goes to breast cancer research?

Pink ribbons and breast cancer awareness events are commonplace just about everywhere, and especially during October. But when people pay for a T-shirt or to participate in a running event to help find a cure, how much of that money goes to research?

One website reveals that sometimes smaller organizations give a greater percentage of their money to actual research.

Charity Navigator boasts that it’s a guide to help people interested in donating money do so intelligently. According to their information, the American-Italian Cancer Foundation gives more of its money raised to research than any other. American-Italian Cancer Foundation gives more than 95 percent of its money raised, or about $1.9 million, to research.

The well-known Susan G. Komen gives 80.5 percent of its money raised to research, or about $254.8 million. Comparatively, the American Cancer Society gives 71.6 percent of its money to research, which amounts to about $718.9 million.

Three different organizations spend a majority of their money on fundraising, according to the website . Walker Cancer Research Institute gives 47.1 percent to research; United Breast Cancer Foundation gives 40 percent to research; and the American Breast Cancer Foundation gives 33.5 percent to research.

Visit Charity Navigator for more on how charities use donated money.