The Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals have been nonstop all week. All I’ve been doing is thinking about stuff. Stuff to treat myself, stuff to prep for our bambino’s arrival, stuff to round out all the holiday gifting. But it’s time to take a break from all the things and focus on a little philanthropy. Today is Giving Tuesday, which means keep that wallet out but use it to help those less fortunate. If you can justify that designer bag you bought at steep discount on Black Friday, you can justify donating to charity today.
No one charity/type of charity is more noble than another, but I’m a fan of focusing my generosity towards those causes that hold special meaning to me personally. If you’re a pet lover, for instance, there are plenty of organizations where you can support our four-legged friends. That’s not my bag. I don’t dislike animals, there are just other causes that I really connect with. Here’s a list of the organizations I’ll be donating to today:
- Joyful Heart Foundation: Preventing domestic abuse is the number one cause I choose to support and I have long felt this organization does a great job.
- Central Park Conservancy: Keeping this park beautiful and safe means my life in NYC is that much better. While I pay annual membership dues, I like to give a little something extra.
- Jewish Charity Organizations
- UJA-Federation: This is pretty much the OG. Supporting this organization basically means supporting a host of groups that support Jewish people in need. I like that I can make this general donation and let them figure out how to best distribute it.
- ADL: I have witnessed the rise of antisemitism first hand and want to support an organization that combats it directly. In the current climate, supporting this group feels extra important.
- Literacy-based Charities:
- Share The Magic Foundation: I can’t help but support my fellow Dawg in his mission to bring a love of reading to children.
- First Book: It starts with books, but this organization touches on all the challenges affecting education in low-income areas (resources for teachers to have age-appropriate conversations about race, highlighting representation in books, etc.)
- For additional options, this is a great roundup
- Robin Hood Foundation: It’s important to support your actual community, which, in my case, is NYC. Robin Hood is devoted to lifting families out of poverty in NYC. Similar to UJA-Federation, they find, fund, and partner with the most effective poverty-fighting organizations in New York.
- Color of Change: Let’s face it, we live in a virtual and social world and sometimes the most effective tactics live in that space. This grassroots organization takes a progressive approach to civil rights advocacy with their viral campaigns.
Peaches to Apples 