It has become the holy grail of philanthropy: measuring the impact of a charitable contribution. Donors don’t want their money misused or used less effectively than it could be, but how can impact be measured?

A new rating system, ImpactMatters, is aiming to do just that. It rates similar nonprofit groups across an array of areas, all with an eye toward impact. The first wide-scale batch of 1,078 ratings were released on Friday, ahead of the holiday giving season.

Donors want an answer to a principal question: “W hich nonprofit is spending their money wisely?” said Elijah Goldberg, executive director of ImpactMatters. “We wanted to understand the impact in a quantitative, rigorous way. We went out to solve this problem.”

ImpactMatters, which is based in Manhattan, looks at how much good an organization achieves per dollar. For example, a group that provides a meal for $2 when the cost in the area is $4 will get a higher rating than a similar group that provides a meal in that area for $5.