We’ve said thanks for our blessings, and now it’s Giving Tuesday, a day to share with those in need. Many charities will match any donations made today, so find a worthy cause to support. Here are some charities suggested by readers in years past; please share your favorite charity in the comments, with a link to their websites if possible.
Pets
- The Morris Animal Foundation
- PetSmart Charities
- Best Friends Animal Society
- Cat House on the Kings
- Humane Society
- ASPCA
- Veterinary Care Foundation (gives to vets in your area)
- Petfinder Foundation (find local shelters to donate to at Petfinder.com)
Hunger/Poverty
- Find Your Local Food Bank (via Feeding America)
Internet Freedom
To determine which charities will spend your donation most effectively, review their rankings on Charity Navigator.
My parents have asked in past years for donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and Disabled American Veterans (https://www.dav.org/).
My favorite charities are: Hope for Paws (they rescue animals, mostly dogs, from the streets of Los Angeles), House with a Heart (they take in small, senior, mostly unadoptable dogs to allow them to live out their lives in love and comfort), Orangutan Outreach (they prepare baby orphaned orangs to ultimately be released into protected but wild areas), Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (a haven for elephants and rhinos). Also my local Humane Society.
House with a Heart and Sheldrick are 2 of my favorites, too!
I melt every time I receive a newsletter from House with a Heart. Can’t get enough of those little senior furballs.
My favorite animal charity is Paws for Friendship, our therapy dog group. There are no paid employees; it’s 100% volunteer. The dogs go to national events — it all started when Jan, the founder and president, took her Great Dane Jenny to the federal building bombing in Oklahoma City, and members have taken dogs to uncountable disasters such as the nightclub massacre in Orlando as well as regular visits to schools, hospitals, libraries, nursing homes, childrens’ group homes, museums, colleges at exam time, businesses who ask for some “de-stressing” for their employees, etc. etc. It’s an incredibly active and dedicated group, there are members all over the country and occasionally internationally, and we could really use your support.
The biggest cost is insurance; a lot of facilities require — and I am not kidding — proof of a million-dollar insurance policy on the member dogs before they’re allowed into the facility! It’s a shame we need it, but it’s a necessary cost, unfortunately, in today’s litigious society. If you’re a U.S. federal employee or know any, Paws is listed this year with the Combined Federal Campaign, which is like the United Way for federal employees. If you or someone you know can give to CFC, the group’s number is 75395. Otherwise, you can donate via the group’s website, https://www.pawsforfriendshipinc.org/.
Another animal organization I love is Bat World. They rescue injured bats, give homes to animals rescued from closing zoos or the pet trade (yes, people keep bats as pets!), and generally try to raise the profile of bats worldwide. They really are important — one bat can eat 10,000 mosquitoes in one night! If you live in a warm climate, they’re a godsend!
And a wonderful children’s organization is Give Kids the World in Orlando. I can’t even begin to describe how amazing they are; you really need to look at the website to find out just what a wonderful place it is!
And your local Humane Society or rescue group is always a good place to donate!
Got sucked into the Bats a few years ago. After hearing how business deliberately paint over the colonies while renovating buildings rather than professionally move them, that did it for me.
Family’s always been into Meals on Wheels. So many of these people have no other human contacts on a regular basis and are desperate for any assistance.
Were you sucked in by a vampire bat?
(Semi-related, I was listening to a podcast episode about Teuthology (study of squids and octopuseseses) and learned there is such a thing as a vampire squid. Also a bobtail squid, which seems apropos for the season. I wonder if you can put bells on them…)
They paint over colonies of bats????? Are you freaking kidding me????? The inhumanity of people never ceases to amaze me. But now I have to donate to Bat World. See what you did? ❤
I just adopted L’il Drac at Bat World. Remember him? The little guy who rocked himself to sleep? I can’t believe how happy I am to have donated to a bat charity. 😃
One of my facebook friends posted a picture yesterday of a bat she found in her yard (in South Africa). She moved it out of harm’s way (she has dogs) and said it just seemed sleepy (it was chilly in the morning) but otherwise unharmed. She called a bat organization and they suggested she let it rest and release it at dusk. (I don’t know how that went…will have to check and see if she posted more later.)
Thanks, NOMTOM, for pulling all that info together and sharing it with us. Very helpful.
Donations to The Innocence Project are being matched today.
https://support.innocenceproject.org/give/260261/?fbclid=IwAR18TB_-Lekxkbg8lOBlQ7g3Sf4vLmdfe0Kj46QhnGRZXNFmqK4Wy_GanyE#!/donation/checkout?c_src=FY20_pmsoc_x_gen_mat_fb_DD_gt-mat_lookalike-donors
My daughter once had the opportunity to be in the courtroom when a man who had spent over 30 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit was released thanks to the Innocence Project . It was incredibly moving, as I’m sure you aren’t surprised to learn. They really do wonderful work, don’t they though?
Any Food Bank.
Our Food Bank had its Angel Tree up this weekend. Hubby and I checked out the tags and found one for a newborn needing diapers and formula. There was just enough in our coin jar.
Juno, I agree with you on the Innocence Project.
PS I took a little Santa hat up to Duckie. When I held it on my hand and put it in the cage, Duckie flew to a higher perch and pooped on the hat. I’m going to assume that means ‘no’.
LOL. Insightful.
Oh Allein you are such a treasure!
Maybe that’s a pet Duckie can have!
I was saving it for a weekend thread this month but this seemed like a good place for it. (I have something else for the weekend, though, now that it’s December.)
Looking into getting one now.
Tee-hee! Little Duckie knows how to vote. 🙂
We don’t really know how boids vote…so we can say that it was so delighted with the hat that it shat. 😁
Winnie’s Wish is my favorite place to give, a private rescue and sanctuary for stray and feral kitties! https://dogsandcats.typepad.com/blog/
Right now I’m having an auction to benefit Winnie’s Wish, every bid helps the kitties and you get something in return for giving! Win Win! https://winnieswishauction.blogspot.com/
https://lipizzanrescuefoundation.org/donate recommended by author Judith Tarr
Found another matching event, this one for National Brain Tumor Society:
https://www.facebook.com/donate/3363739796986273/2706670419379836/
Most of these suggestions get monthly donations from me already. I have left a few of my others off this list because they are too personal to me to appeal to most here. None of these gets less than three stars from Charity Navigator, and most get four stars.
The Actors Fund https://actorsfund.org/
Alight (formerly American Refugee Committee) https://wearealight.org/
American Bird Conservancy https://abcbirds.org/
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation https://www.aclu.org/
The Carter Center https://www.cartercenter.org/
Center for Biological Diversity https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/
Children’s Aid https://www.childrensaidnyc.org/
Direct Relief https://www.directrelief.org/
Doctors Without Borders, USA https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/
Equal Justice Initiative https://eji.org/
Friends of the Earth https://foe.org/
Human Rights Watch https://www.hrw.org/
Humane Society of New York http://www.humanesocietyny.org/ (or your local Humane Society)
International Rescue Committee https://www.rescue.org/
Internet Archive https://archive.org/
Mercy Corps https://www.mercycorps.org/
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund https://www.naacpldf.org/
NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation https://www.prochoiceamerica.org/foundation/
National Immigration Law Center https://www.nilc.org/
Physicians for Reproductive Health http://prh.org/
Planned Parenthood Federation of America https://www.plannedparenthood.org/
Puppies Behind Bars https://www.puppiesbehindbars.com/
Southern Poverty Law Center https://www.splcenter.org/
Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) https://www.seo-usa.org/
UNICEF USA https://www.unicefusa.org/
Wildlife Conservation Society https://wcs.org
I just sent a list of about 25 organizations that I support, but it disappeared. Too many links?
Yep, sorry about that. Your list should be visible now.
Oh, thank you, Mike! I wasn’t sure I could put it all together again! (I do understand that so many links might well trip spam warnings.)
I have a young friend who’s brother was hit and killed by a car last week after being improperly released from a mental health facility. The family requests donations to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
https://www.nami.org