Giving Thread

[onthemove]

I think I asked this last year, but I am about to do my annual gift giving, anyone have any good charity recommendations?

[mae0111]

The Jimmy Fund at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. You can allocate your donation to any area you choose. It’s an amazing organization.

www.jimmyfund.org/

[sadlebred]

Do you want to give nationally? Locally?

Please consider Support Smyrna, which provides hyper local assistance for those in need (underserved families & elderly, veterans, and more) in a locale that is dear to my heart. All monies stay in that city www.supportsmyrna.org.

FurKids, Georgia's largest no kill shelter (cats and dogs). They have their own facilities and also use fosters.

[chpmnk1015]

I support more local things... things I know are going directly to people or places that need it.
Food banks are a big one for us
I do like some of the environmental ones..Sierra club,

[shaynaatl]

We do Alex's Lemonade Stand and No Kid Hungry every year.

[wildrice]

What sorts of things are you most passionate about? I do a lot of random donations when things come up in the news or someone asks for support for a cause they care about, but my regular giving is focused on the things that speak the most to my heart - essentially, fighting so that someday ALL people have access to equal rights, financial and bodily safety/security, and healthcare. Really, ensuring basic needs are met!


- The Baltimore Health Care for the Homeless agency. Though this org exists in other cities, each one is individually funded and operates on its own. Our Health Care for the Homeless has a huge focus on racial equity in healthcare and employment, and not only provides health services but also has a whole team devoted to supportive housing and actually has built and supports affordable housing units. 

- I also donate to our local food bank and the Baltimore abortion fund

- Nationally I also have a monthly donation to Southern Poverty Law Center and have more occasionally supported the NAACP legal defense fund 
and the Equal Justice Initiative 

[dcn]

I donate to

Veterans Community Project
Fisher House
Moms Demand Action
Local abortion fund
Local food banks

[onthemove]

I try and do things I care about -

-abortion (switched last year from PP to semi-local fund
-environmental- usually a rainforest type
-health - I’ve done malaria and maternal health in the past as I’ve been personally affected by both
-hunger - world food kitchen recently
-human rights/justice reform
-Public radio/tv

I struggle to decide if I should do more to 1 or 2 or less to all. Usually it’s about $1-2000 per cause.

I like to hear about others, it helps me find similar causes locally

[jewel]

I try to keep most of my donations super local, to county or city organizations. Mine include:

Teen LGBTQ+ center
Food bank
Non profit kids art/STEAM center
CASA
Domestic violence shelter
School homeless educational support

Not a non profit, and not really in season now, but I also donate to progressive school board and city council candidates. I live in a red county in Ca, and we don’t have a lot of success, but are getting closer and donation dollars really go a long way.

ETA - not local, but I also do Kiva loans throughout the year. I try to choose loans to women in business in developing countries.

[sadlebred]

Again, local. Giving Grace helps those on the edge of society that have nowhere else to turn get back on their feet and get stability. Miss "C" follows the families. There are women that have graduated college since receiving assistance, families that have had members graduation college, families find the stability that they need with permanent housing, immediate needs are met with hotel rent-food-a room-daycare expenses-power/water/heat paid for, and so much more.

www.facebook.com/groups/753366974750959

[twinmomma]

We do End 68 Hours of Hunger. They provide food bags for weekends and school vacations for families that rely on school meals as their main food sources. It ensures kids don't go hungry in the 68 hours between school lunch on Friday and school breakfast on Monday morning. Many of the local school districts near us have a chapter so we support the one in our town.

[waverly]

We support the local food pantry, a local charity which helps seniors and those fighting cancer, environmental causes and gun violence prevention organizations. And Girls Scouts since DD is a member. We also support local literacy efforts.

[minzy]

Thanks for asking this question and facilitating the conversation about it, OP. I feel like people in our cohort don’t discuss philanthropy nearly enough and I am here for it!

I went through this afternoon and did more donations and tallies. This may be one of my favorite days of the year! I feel slightly nauseous/exhilarated by how much money I spent but I’m pleased to report this year has been our best yet (always my goal). We hit at least 25 nonprofits, focusing on literacy, health, and the environment. The hyper local stuff focuses on environmental advocacy/tree planting, our local Meals on Wheels, an org for residents with disabilities, a domestic violence shelter, the volunteer fire department, and two charities that were established in memory of three little kids. For Christmas, my girls picked to give to an autism foundation that stresses inclusion and an animal rescue group. Also did the PTAs, Girl Scouts, Girls on the Run, American Cancer Society, Solar Sister, The Crayon Initiative, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, our library system again. The two biggest, as always, were to the library in the town where my mom worked before she died 25 years ago, and a children’s cancer foundation. The year’s not out yet, and maybe I’ll push myself to do a little more. (Who’s with me?)

[HoneySpider]

I will plug my nonprofit, Through the Heart www.throughtheheart.org We provide pregnancy loss support services, including Comfort Kits and educational materials, locally in the Annapolis, MD area and nationwide.

Most of my personal giving goes to TTH but I try and support others when I can even if it's just a few dollars. I won't remember them all but off the top of my head, this year we gave to:

Local library
United Healthcare Children's Foundation - DS2 received a grant from here when he had eye surgery a few years ago and it was a lifesaver for us
Our church
My undergrad alma mater
My grad alma mater
Local SPCA
Both kids' schools
Arizona Animal Welfare League to support a friend
A few other orgs to support friends