Life
With the election of Donald Trump, “put your money where your mouth is” has gone from a cliche to a rallying cry. For many, making an effort to find organizations to donate to who are fighting Trump's policies is one step in resisting the current administration's agenda. There is an overwhelming amount of charitable organizations that deserve your time and money, but finding and supporting a cause you care about doesn’t have to be overwhelming, too.
Donations are how many nonprofits and charitable organizations stay funded. If you’re curious how exactly your donation is being divvied up, check out the organization’s website; they're typically big on transparency. For The Trevor Project, the leading organization in crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ youth, about 57 percent of their revenue comes from charitable donations. 80 percent of their overall revenue is spent on funding programs like their crisis hotline. So financially, what might be one less latte a week for you can add up, helping fund one more life-saving program for someone who needs it.
The world does not lack for things for us to be worried about. However, it’s also filled with people already working to do good. If you want to donate to a charity but aren’t sure where to get started, here are a few resources to finding where your change can help make change.
1
Utilize Tools like Super Good
If you're overwhelmed by the feeling of "so many charities, so little money to give evenly," there are websites that will help divvy up your donations for you. Super Good is a platform that lets you set a daily donation amount and distributes the donations for you based on organizations being directly affected by Trump. They also provide you with a weekly action item, like signing a petition or calling your rep, you can do in less than five minutes. Super Good is a platform all about how collectively, a little goes a long way. Check out this video on Super Good and their mission if you want more information on how to use their platform.
2
Search Crowdfunding Sites
Websites like YouCaring and GoFundMe allow you to search for nonprofits as well as fundraise for nonprofits. Keep in mind that most crowdfunding sites have a fee (GoFundMe's is five percent from each donation). If you want to avoid fees, just treat the sites as a search tool and seek out a campaign's organization to donate directly.
3
Look Locally
If you're passionate about reproductive rights, donate to your local Planned Parenthood. Welcome the refugees in your neighborhood by donating to an organization dedicated to refugee resettlement. The website for United Way lets you search by zip code for volunteer opportunities. Use that to find a local organization who could use your financial support.
4
Find Where Your Donation Will Go the Furthest
Debating between organization to donate? Check out GiveWell. It's a nonprofit dedicated to helping donors find where their money will have the most impact. GiveWell conducts in depth analysis of organizations to find exactly how much each dollar accomplishes within a given program.
5
Search By Cause
Philanthropedia and GreatNonprofits.org are search engines for charitable organizations. If Googling "charities to donate" seems daunting, you can use these sites to whittle down where you want to donate by cause or location.
6
Check Tax-Exempt Organizations Through the IRS Website
Want to make sure your donation is a tax write-off? Check the IRS Exempt Organization search. No shame in giving a little and in turn getting a little back in April.
7
Find People and Companies Matching Donations
As a stance in against Trump's travel ban, celebrities like Sia matched donations to the ACLU. Pay attention to your feeds, and see who you follow is standing in solidarity with causes they care about. See if your employer matches donations with MatchingGifts.com.
8
Find Individuals Stories that Inspire You
If you're passionate about public education, check out DonorsChoose. You can find specific classrooms to support and help provide resources teachers have requested. If you're moved by a particular news story, do something about it. After the shooting in Kansas, in which two Indian men were targeted, more than $1 million in donations were raised through crowdfunding pages. Yes, there is a lot to be worried and angry and scared about, but we can turn that collective concern into actual change. If everyone gives a little, we can all come a long way.
