Just a note: I would not recommend donating online. There is a physical address for this place, and if it is legit, it will go there. This truly seems to be real. I have found many phony animal sites (sigh) so I’m being extra careful. The legit places do a lot of good, and should be supported, but you can’t be too careful in these times.
The safest way to donate to animal rescues and shelters is to donate locally, where you can see exactly what is going on.
You are right, local is better.
Many charities send up with a surprising proportion of donations going to overhead. I once visited a building that had been the HQ of a nationally known charity, and I found it surprisingly well appointed. Millions upon millions of dollars went into this building, and while I understand the need for a workplace, I had to ask myself if they wouldn’t have been able to spend less on the building and more money on actually helping people.
Many of the small local animal rescue sites don’t have brick and mortar buildings. They are often a group of volunteers who shelter and foster animals in their homes.
… which is a good way to reduce overhead. It does, however, make it harder to know that they are for real.