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The figure shown in Xerxys' post of $300 billion annually is indeed astronomical, and there is some misinformation included there, but I tend to believe the numbers are probably reasonably good estimates.
When you look at the overall size of the US economy (as opposed to the total government spending. It does still represent about 2.3% of the total economy, but it also includes in-kind and non-monetary donations, which are a not insignificant fraction of the total amount (perhaps as much as 10% of total contributions). In addition, they don't seem to differentiate between charities and non-profits.
As well, the amount "lost" to the government through donations is somewhat overstated. The money spent by charities on salaries (such as the obscene salary of the head of the BSA) is subject to tax. In that case, the amount recouped may actually exceed the tax credit given. Never underestimate the power of the government to screw us (salaries are actually a small part of total spending, but the concept is there).
In addition, when you consider some of the "charities", such as BSA and the YMCA, for the most part, they aren't true charities. They are non-profit service businesses with a branch that does reach out to the needy and does do charitable works. But they are businesses first and foremost, even if largely volunteer driven.
And some of these charitable oranisations have become SO large, that it is hard to imagine that they are still focused on their primary raison d'etre. The American Cancer Society distributes billions of dollars a year in research grants, and turns downs many, many requests. If you had that sort of power, would you give money to someone who was going to wipe out your job? You and I would, and the vast majority of people would. What if we get someone who doesn't think like us? It's a concern. On the other hand, look what the March of Dimes did... it wiped out Polio, & kept right on trucking, re-focusing on other things to attack. It's hard to tell what will happen when you get people involved.
I mostly give local ones, but also a few international ones. I will NOT give to the United Way for 2 reasons... the first is weak, but the whole concept of "get big, get efficient, push, push, push!!!" bothers me. It's just so... American (sorry). I LIKE to give in small amounts to various charities. The second reason is petty. I was once insulted by a United Way volunteer for "wasting" my donations on charities that spend too much on fund-raising and not enough on programs. After all, she told me, the United Way was created to overcome this inefficiency and make sure that the maximum amount of my donation gets to the needy. I'm sorry (not really!), but if I want to give my money to a charity that spends 95% of its receipts on fund-raising, and still feel good about my donation, that's MY BUSINESS. And screw you if you don't like it. It's MY MONEY, and I'll do what I want with it.
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The secret to great marksmanship is deciding what the target was AFTER you've shot.
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