Written by Brittany Armas. I believe we all have the power to make a difference. Through informative and heartfelt content, I hope to create change and inspire others to give back to those who need it most.
If there's a candidate you support, donating to them directly can provide motivation to keep going when it gets tough.
If you're not supporting any specific candidate, or are more of an issues voter, it's a great move to donate to a political party, organization or action committee. Your state Republican or Democrat (or Green or Independent, etc.) party will allocate your money to the races that need it most.
There's a lot for candidates to pay for at the beginning of a campaign — staff, yard signs, T-shirts, website design and more. Making a political donation might not be top-of-mind so early on, but your contribution can help cover start-up costs. That goes for campaigns at city, state and national levels.
Giving when the general population isn't thinking about politics can allow a campaign to continue when the coffers are more bare. That means giving in the summer months, or giving around primary time in statewide races, which don't grab as much voter attention as general elections do.
Your state Republican or Democrat (or Green or Independent, etc.) party will allocate your money to the races that need it most.
In smaller races, when you're donating to a campaign or contacting campaign headquarters, you're likely dealing directly with the candidate. It can be a one-person operation.
At the city and state level, donating directly to candidates' campaigns, rather than giving to a political party, can be a huge source of encouragement for them, Roberts said.
You won’t need lots of people answering donation phone calls anymore. Once your donation mechanism is set up, you can accept donations at 3 PM or 3 AM , all without you or your volunteers being there.
Traditional “Donate” Buttons: This is exactly what it is — a link embedded in a button to a no-frills, secure online page where a donor can enter payment information. It might be accompanied by a brief description of your charity or a logo, but its primary function is to take in the donation. This page is often used in connection with other online donation formats.
Donorbox is an all-in-one donation management software. With Donorbox, you can create a pop-up box and/or have a donation form embedded directly into your website. The donor can donate using a variety of credit cards (including through Google Pay or Apple Pay), ACH transfer, SEPA transfer (similar to ACH but for EU), or even directly with a PayPal account.
Same with asking donors to cover your credit card transaction fees, so your nonprofit can get 100% of their donated amount.
Double the Donation starts at $499/year, with the more expensive service costing $3,000/year. You get a 14-day free trial period, and you can cancel the service any time within these 14 days without incurring additional charges. Otherwise, you are billed annually, with automatic renewals.
Double the Donation is a nonprofit-focused service, but it’s typically integrated with other platforms to provide a more robust nonprofit management experience. That’s why, even though you can sign up for its services on a standalone basis, we put it in this section instead of the earlier Best Of section.
The potential donor receives an SMS message about your charity and a short pitch on why they should donate, along with a link that takes them to a secure web page where they can enter their payment information. In addition to the SMS marketing firm, you’ll have to sign up with a payment processor to process the payments, and that will cost you a per-transaction fee on top of the SMS messaging fee.
The best course of action before giving is to check out the charity with one or more of the major charity watchdogs, including the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Navigator, and CharityWatch.
Be sure to check the charity’s own website for information about its mission, a list of the board of directors, and its latest financial reports. If the site doesn’t have those details, “it is sending you a message that the organization is not very transparent,” Weiner says. (Read more about vetting charity documents .)
A charity’s name may signal worthy a cause, such as feeding the hungry or supporting veterans. But you need to look carefully at the organization to make sure you are sending your money to the right place.
Vetting charities is especially important now because December is typically the largest month for giving. According to a recent report by the Blackbaud Institute for Philanthropic Impact, 17 percent of contributions were made during December last year.
Giving or donating has several psychological benefits. It provides you the pleasure of knowing you’re indirectly or directly making a difference to someone’s life somewhere.
It could be anything from helping seniors lead a better life or feeding malnourished children in a faraway country. Some of us also donate to charities that support animal welfare or provide medical services to the underprivileged.
UNICEF. UNICEF or United Nations Children’s Fund is one of the biggest international charities in the world. As the name suggests, it’s a branch that operates under the United Nations. UNICEF is engaged in various charitable activities around the world.
For example, they fund educational programs for children in remote areas of poor countries, provide meals and healthcare services, help prevent child abuse while assisting kids in conflict and disaster zones.
They operate across the world and have stepped up charitable work in 2021, due to the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020. There’re several ways to donate to OXFAM.
You might be aware that serving the military and especially fighting wars and terrorism isn’t an easy task.
Or you can donate a small amount of money every month or annually to WWF.
Donating furniture to charity is a generous act that goes a long way toward helping those in need. But, donating can also help reduce stress and declutter , especially before a move. Whether you’re looking to lend a helping hand or organize your home, several charities are available across the nation to help with furniture donations.
Acceptable items: Goodwill accepts clothing, electronics, furniture, appliances, and household goods. They allow vehicle donations, including cars, trucks, SUVs, vans, boats, RVs, campers, and motorcycles. The vehicle doesn’t have to be in running condition either, so you can get rid of your junk car or broken mower that is taking up space.
Acceptable items: Furniture Bank accepts all types of furniture, ranging from sofas and tables to dressers and housewares. Some factors that determine whether or not a furniture piece is an acceptable donation is its condition, size, and value to the needs of families. Long furniture and major appliances are not allowed.
How your donation helps: Through donations, Goodwill offers jobs and job training programs, employment placement services, financial education, youth mentoring, and more. Your donation assists the elderly, youth, individuals with disabilities, and people in your local community who seek much-needed support.
How your donation helps: Donating to The Salvation Army contributes to hunger relief, housing, and homeless services, adult rehabilitation, prison ministries, and more. The Salvation Army assists natural disaster victims, victims of human trafficking, addicts, at-risk youth, seniors, the homeless, and others in need.
Donated items can be tax-deductible. If you plan on itemizing your tax deductions, it’s necessary to obtain a receipt and keep records from the charity you donated to. Various charities provide prices on commonly donated items like clothing and furniture. For further information on how to deduct charitable contributions, take a look at the IRS’s rules on the subject.
This especially applies to furniture and household items, which are used for resale. Items should be free from major damage, stains, rips or tears. However, for car donations, some charities do not require the vehicle to be in running condition as they can be resold for parts.
The best course of action before giving is to check out the charity with one or more of the major charity watchdogs, including the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Navigator, and CharityWatch.
Be sure to check the charity’s own website for information about its mission, a list of the board of directors, and its latest financial reports. If the site doesn’t have those details, “it is sending you a message that the organization is not very transparent,” Weiner says. (Read more about vetting charity documents .)
A charity’s name may signal worthy a cause, such as feeding the hungry or supporting veterans. But you need to look carefully at the organization to make sure you are sending your money to the right place.
Vetting charities is especially important now because December is typically the largest month for giving. According to a recent report by the Blackbaud Institute for Philanthropic Impact, 17 percent of contributions were made during December last year.