It’s Giving Tuesday, which is apparently a thing that follows Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday.
If you still have any money left after all those shopping days, here are my favorite ways to get rid of it:
Landmine Relief Fund
Beautiful young lady in Cambodia
The Landmine Relief Fund was started in 2004 by Bill and Jill Morse — two people I’m lucky to call friends — who were moved to action when they saw how many Cambodians live with the threat of dismemberment and death from landmines. Their NGO supports the work of Cambodian Self Help Demining, which employs a number of Cambodians and makes land safe and usable again. They also created a rural school program to give children in remote areas access to education.
In a country still suffering from the ravages of genocide and war, people shouldn’t have to live on land that literally kills them. That’s why the Landmine Relief Fund matters. It’s one of those rare instances where every dollar truly makes a lasting impact.
Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation
My mom, a few years before her death.
I hate it when I donate to an organization, then receive a bunch of fancy mailers, stickers, calendars, and booklets from them with pleas for more money. I realize I haven’t really helped the cause at all — I’ve just paid for a bunch of garbage to annoy me.
That’s why I like the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation. A minimal amount goes toward fundraising and administrative expenses, with the bulk of every donation going directly to research. They work with internationally renowned scientists, and they’ve made a number of discoveries to significantly advance treatment and understanding of Alzheimer’s.
And since I lost my mom to Alzheimer’s, I’m all for anything that helps us prevent, treat or cure this horrific disease.
Kiva
Most recently I funded a textile business in Kampala, Uganda.
It’s really simple: Choose a borrower, make a microloan for as little as $25 and create an opportunity for someone. You even get repaid and can use that money to help someone else!
I became a believer in Kiva when I was backpacking around Rwanda and met Kiva field partners, the people who work with potential borrowers and help them get the financial services they need. I saw firsthand how very small loans can empower people, lift them out of poverty, and help entire communities. I tend to support women-owned businesses in underbanked areas, but you can fund young entrepreneurs, green businesses, people in conflict zones, anything you want.
1 Comment
So like you Maggie… With the large institutions that have tons of money for PR and advertising, we often miss the opportunities where a small donation does a lot of good. I’m all for the St. Jude’s and ASPCA that do big work, but sometimes I think that the F.I.N.D. Food banks and organizations like these do more of the heavy lifting on a community level.