We all want to make a difference where we can in the world. Whether our contributions are large or small, the majority of people would rather that their impact on the world is a positive one. Because of this, many people donate to various charities as a means of ensuring that their money is going towards a good cause. This is a fantastic thing, with charities around the world collecting billions of dollars a year to assist with ongoing support work for everything from homelessness to disaster relief. However, as an individual or business, it can be difficult to work out what the best charities to donate to are.
Naturally, the charities and causes that you’re passionate about will be deeply personal. It will be based on your experiences, your preferences, and what you believe to be a cause worth standing behind. With that said, if you’re unsure as to where you should be putting your money, there are questions that you can ask yourself to find which charity is right for you. So, to help you make this important decision, let’s go into a few things to consider when choosing a charity to support.
How Much Can You Realistically Offer a Charity?
When you decide to give to a charity, it’s easy to misidentify how much you can realistically give. We compare to others, we feel guilty for not giving more, and it can all be quite daunting, especially when we don’t have a lot of disposable income to give. While some will live by the 1% rule, where you give 1% of your monthly income to a cause, remember that there are no strict guidelines for how much you give. The fact that you are providing part of your paycheque to those that really need it is fantastic in itself, and you should never feel obligated to give more than you feel comfortable with.
What Would You WANT to Support?
One of the most common questions people ask themselves when deciding to donate to charity is “With so many charities and important causes out there, how can I choose one over the other?”, and this is an incredibly valid concern to have. There are always going to be dozens of causes that you care about, and unless you are a billionaire philanthropist, there is going to be a limit to how much support you can provide. So, since you have to be picky with where your money goes, it’s important to work out which causes mean the most to you, and not just what causes you feel you should be supporting.
Some will be passionate about homelessness, others will be dedicated to supporting the arts in their local area. Just remember that there is nothing to be ashamed of when choosing one charity over another as long as you’re supporting something that will benefit the greater good. Each of these charities needs funding, and while you may not be donating to one this time, you can still promote it and urge others to give what they can if it’s something you really care about.
How Do You Want to Support?
Whilst we’ve predominantly been talking about giving your money to various causes, there are other options for those that want to offer their help in different ways. Organizations like Movember allow for you to receive sponsorships for completing various tasks or challenges which are then collected and distributed to various causes. Meanwhile, Tab For a Cause has created avenues for people to support charities simply by browsing the internet. This is all to say that there are options available for those that may not currently have the financial means to make regular donations but still want to do what they can for the causes that are important to them.
Which Charities Do You Feel the Most Comfortable Supporting?
As is to be expected, there isn’t going to be one charity for every cause, so you have multiple avenues for how you’d prefer to donate to the one you’ve chosen. Because of this, it pays to look into various different charities and find the one that you feel the most comfortable providing donations to. Look into their history, the work they’ve achieved through donations, and breakdowns of where your money will be going. Keep in mind that some of your money will almost inevitably go towards the costs of running the charity, so don’t be surprised if a percentage of your donation is removed for that purpose.
Giving to charity is a wonderful way to give back to the world around you and use your money to help others. Hopefully, we’ve helped to point you in the right direction with what charities you should give to. For some more easy ways to give to charity, click here.
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