Cathryn Cunningham/
GivingTuesday is a global movement unleashing the power of radical generosity. GivingTuesday was created in 2012. It’s a day that encourages people to do good. Since then, it has grown into a year-round global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.
Join the movement and give – Tuesday, Nov. 29, or each Tuesday – whether it’s some of your time, a donation, or the power of your voice in your local community.
It’s a simple idea: Whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts, and everyone has something to contribute toward building the better world we all want to live in.
If you already have organizations that you give to, you are likely getting messages to remind you of GivingTuesday. If you are new to giving or considering adding another charity to your list, there are steps you can take to make sure the organization meets your performance criteria.
How much goes to administrative expenses and how much goes to the cause?
A quick review of the organization’s website can be a good place to start. If the administrative costs are not readily available on the website, make a call to ask. Some small organizations may not have a website but can talk to you about their operations.
I did a search for “what to consider when giving to a charity?” I found organizations that evaluate charities on accountability, financial health, and transparency.
Other websites identified questions about their operations: Do they have a board? How many paid staff? How many volunteers? What is their primary source of funding? How long has your average volunteer been with you? Do they share success stories?
These are things to consider whether you are giving money or time.
What is their mission?
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Who are they, what do they do, and why are they needed? Can the person answering the phone tell you the mission; or only the “boss”? Does the mission align with your expectations?
What are the goals?
Ask about short- and long-term goals. How are the goals measured? How often are they measured?
Can they tell you the current status of the goal? Evaluate if the goals have quality measures. Number served is a basic count. Measurements speak to impact made by the organization.
What progress has been made toward the goals?
There may be stories they can tell you about individual impacts or tracking of measures.
reference checks
Do they have documents such as annual reports that they can share with you? Is there a board member or volunteer you can talk with?
Finding an organization to give to on GivingTuesday
I did an internet search for “GivingTuesday, Albuquerque” and found lots of organizations. (Nonprofits/charities, schools, universities, colleges, foundations, individuals, families, young, old and the list goes on.) Substitute your community in the search. This helps you find local organizations to make your donation. The search returned lists that others have put together based upon a network of giving as well as individual organizations seeking support.
Some of the organizations have programs to leverage giving on GivingTuesday. Matching donations from larger donors or corporations can make your donation go further.
money and time
• Americans gave $484.85 billion in 2021. This reflects a 4% increase from 2020.
• An estimated 30% of US adults, 77.9 million Americans, volunteered in 2019, contributing an estimated 5.8 billion hours, valued at approximately $147 billion.
Every bit helps. A few dollars, or items such as food or clothing, or volunteer time. It can make a difference. There are many organizations doing good work in our communities. Find a match for your desire to give.
Sources: https://www.givingtuesday.org/ https://albuquerque.momcollective.com/around_abq/giving-tuesday/ https://www.nptrust.org/philanthropic-resources/charitable-giving-statistics/
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