Where and How to Give on Tuesday
If the consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday has left you feeling a little empty, think about today is Charity Tuesday , the worldwide day of charity. The day, launched in 2012, promotes charitable giving acts, whether it is donating your time or money to good causes.
How to choose a charity
Not all charities are the same as some are ineffectively spending their donations or perhaps spending too much money on marketing instead of helping people directly through their charitable programs. But choosing the right charity isn’t easy. Charities are usually ranked based on low administrative costs (less than 25% of total budget), but this can also be oversimplified, especially for larger charities that invest heavily in fundraising but effectively channel donations to their own. programs.
However, the best charities operate with transparency and accountability, and you need to know where your donations go. Ask yourself if a charity has a mission statement with clearly defined goals and if they are tracking their progress towards those goals. For example, if the goal of an organization is to provide clean water to children in developing countries, can they show you how many wells they have dug or how much clean water has been provided? If you don’t see a mission statement, or a board of directors list, or links to the latest financial statements on the charity’s website, think twice before donating.
When it comes to choosing a charity, it’s best to start with some research on sites like charitynavigator.org , charitywatch.org, and givewell.org . These watch groups evaluate charities based on their tax returns, complaints about them, potential conflicts of interest, and transparency. The Better Business Bureau also provides some good advice for screening charities .
Charitable options for 2020
Below are charities you can donate to, but these are just suggestions – don’t let us stop you from considering other lesser-known charities as well.
COVID relief
- GoFundMe has a Covid-19 Relief Fund that provides assistance to “families, individuals and those fighting COVID-19 on the front lines.” The site also has over 35,000 COVID-related campaigns.
- There is currently a blood shortage as the pandemic has affected blood supply, so why not donate blood? The American Red Cross encourages healthy donors to donate blood, platelets or AB plasma. American Blood Centers, the largest network of nonprofit blood centers in North America, can help you find a donor center near you.
- The Restaurant Workers Community Foundation distributes 50% of its funds directly to restaurant workers, 25% to nonprofits serving restaurant workers, and 25% to zero-interest loans to keep restaurants running.
- Food banks are 60% more busy than they were last year, according to Feeding America , so consider donating as part of their fundraising campaign for Charity Tuesday. The proceeds will help American families struggling to pay rent or pay food bills, and your money will go much further towards feeding people facing food insecurity than donating canned food .
Think globally
- United Way has a worldwide COVID-19 response and recovery fund , and 95% of your donation will be used to provide food and shelter for those affected by the pandemic.
- GiveDirectly is a program that provides money to very poor families, mainly in Africa, to invest in business and agricultural assets, housing and education.
- The Fund Against Malaria provides funding for insecticide-treated durable nets for developing countries. There is strong evidence that these nets reduce child mortality and malaria incidence (more than 400,000 deaths from malaria each year, mostly children under the age of five in sub-Saharan Africa).
- As PPE continues to be in high demand in many countries, Direct Relief supplies medical supplies to populations around the world, delivering millions of masks, gloves and protective shields to international healthcare professionals.
Social justice
- Campaign Zero , a project of the non-profit organization WeTheProtestors , supports policy analysis and legislation to end police violence. The organization recently launched the End All Prohibited Acts campaign, which aims to prohibit the violent police raids that are routinely conducted for petty drug-related offenses, as well as other sensible changes to the way police conduct search warrants. Donate to the campaign here .
- Donations to the Freedom for Immigrants National Bond Fund are being used to free detained immigrants, including people arrested in ICE raids and mothers separated from their children at the border, by paying cash bail that many cannot afford.
- CommonCause is a non-partisan coalition that promotes democracy and works to empower voters across the country through mass events and litigation. They strive to modernize elections by making them fairer, safer and more accessible through laws on automatic voter registration and same-day registration at polling stations on election day. Donate here .
Donate your time
You don’t need to donate money to give it to your community, as your donated time is valuable too. Consider volunteering for a charity or serving on a community council. The right opportunity to volunteer can help you reduce your own stress from the pandemic, make new friends, and even help you in your career.