5 Charities to Donate to This Holiday Season

As it is the time of giving, I have been looking into what charities I would love to support this holiday season. With everything I am unable to control in this world, giving a little help to organizations I believe in is something I actually can do. So, if you are looking for charities to donate to this holiday season, here are a couple of my favorites.

If you are a book lover, I also wrote a post over on my other blog, Bookish Coffee Blog, about five literacy charities that are doing great work in providing education and resources towards literacy! Go check it out and learn about those organizations.

I have been fortunate enough to spend each Christmas in warmth and love. I was incredibly lucky to have had the privileges that I have. So now that I have my own money, and the ability to help, I like to give to causes more important than myself.

I have a lot of causes I want to support, but I am going to talk about five of my favorites. Each one of these organizations is doing incredible work, and by highlighting them, I hope they can support more people and help more lives this holiday season. Even if only a little.

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How to Help these Organizations

The main way I and many others help charities like these and so many others is through monetary donations. But there are so many other ways someone can help during the holiday season. Here are just a few:

• Donate money
• Donate recources
• Volunteer
• Spread the word
• Start programs in your own town

Many organizations have opportunities for aid that don’t require donations. I am going to be linking to each website in this post, so you can look at what each charity has need for in regards to aid.

Where to Find Charities to Donate to

There are millions of charities out in the world, doing amazing things. So it can be so difficult to find the ones you want to support. Other than simply googling, what are some ways you can find charities to donate to?

• Check locally: Charity starts at home right? Check your local ewspaper or facebook group for upcoming events being held by organizations. You can find some great volunteer opportunities and places to donate.
• Go on charitiy seach engine websites: There are websited dedicated to rating and finding good charities. You can search by cause or by location. Or both. Here are a couple of my favorites:
  • Charity Navigator
  • Charity Watch
• Talk to friends and family: During the holiday season, a lot of people search for charities to donate to. Talk to your loved ones and see what causes and organizations they support. Maybe you will find something you are passionate about.

Charities to Donate to this Holiday Season

1. The Innocence Project

Website: The Innocence Project

Their goal: The innocence Project strives to exonerate wrongfully incarcerated individuals through DNA tests. They want reform so more innocent people don’t end up incarcerated.

What do they do: The number one thing this organization does is work to free people who were imprisoned incorrectly. This is done through DNA tests and examination of court cases. They also perform legal work to improve and change the criminal system so this does not happen to others. Finally, they work with the newly freed people on building their lives after so much of it was taken away from them.

Donate here

See other ways you can help here

2. National Alliance to End Homelessness

Website: National Alliance to End Homelessness

Their goal: The National Alliance to End Homelessness is working to end the epidemic of homelessness in America

What do they do: They work on implementing policy on the federal level to fix the housing crisis, research the data and trends of homelessness, and work with communities to implement programs that actually work.

Donate here

See other ways you can help here

3. Clean Air Task Force

Website: Clean Air Task Force

Their goal: The Clean Air Task Force knows that the world’s climate is rapidly changing, and they want to fix that. Using scientific backing, they work to create policy changes that will start the process of healing the environment.

What they do: They use scientific research about the environment to make changes in both business practices and federal policy. They work together with the community and lawmakers to change the way we talk about the environment and educate people on what is actually happening to this planet.

Donate here

4. National Alliance on Mental Illness

Website: National Alliance on Mental Illness

Their goal: The National Alliance on Mental Illness wants everyone who is struggling with mental illness to have the support and resources they need to live a good, fulfilling life.

What they do: They educate people on the reality of mental illness while also working toward getting people the help and resources they need. They have their very own hotline for those who need help and create local programs and events to spread awareness for the issue of mental health.

Donate here

See other ways to get involved here

5. Best Friends

Website: Best Friends

Their goal: Best friends is working to ensure all pet animals have a loving home to go home to. They have a goal of making the country completely no-kill by 2025.

What they do: This charity has built sanctuaries for homeless and special-needs pets. They have been working on ending puppy mills, creating affordable pet-inclusive housing, and protecting outdoor cats by capturing them, vaccinating them, and releasing them back into the community.

Donate here

See other ways to get involved here

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These are just a few organizations that are doing work I love but there are so many more out there. You can find specific charities for almost anything you believe in. Simply google, “charities for [insert cause] and you will find a ton of different options. Add your city or county name if you want to donate more locally.

But it is always important to vet the organizations before donating. Know where your money is going before giving. Good charities will be very transparent about this, and there are also websites you can visit which give different charities a score on their trustworthiness.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you find some way to help this holiday season. Whether it is volunteering, spreading the word, or looking for charities to donate to this holiday season, every small step makes an impact.