Apart from any philosophical considerations about whether the money is "really yours", this evaluation is already built in to the 501(c)(3) process because the

Apart from any philosophical considerations about whether the money is "really yours", this evaluation is already built in to the 501(c)(3) process because the IRS reviews charities before granting them that status to see if they serve a public purpose. Not all not-for-profit organizations quality. The status can also be revoked if the IRS determines that an organization isn't meeting the 501(c)(3) criteria in the future. You can't get the tax deduction by donating money to organizations that haven't passed through this review process.