With so many good worthy organizations fighting an endless number of different issues, it can sometimes be very hard to determine which the best charities to donate to are in order for your donation to actually count. By reflecting upon the charities you most want to solve and the causes you care most about, however, can help you determine which charities are best to give to. Here are some tips to help you do just that.
For those who care deeply about issues affecting the environment, there is no better cause than trying to stop or reduce the volume of litter being created. Each year, charities like The World Wildlife Fund raise millions of dollars to help preserve the world's natural habitats, while also helping people living in poor countries to ensure that they have a safe and healthy environment to live in. The amount of money raised through the “larious living” event alone has helped fund projects ranging from eliminating child poverty to building schools for the children of marginalized communities. No matter what type of charitable causes you want to help achieve, contributing to the work of such a trusted source like The World Wildlife Fund is the best way to help.
Another great cause worth supporting is that of medical research. Effective altruism here means that you are making donations of your time and/or money to organizations which work to find effective treatments and solutions to serious illnesses like HIV/AIDS. In addition to donating money, you can also give time. This can mean spending part of a day at an AIDS treatment center, or spending a few hours volunteering as an HIV educator in an African village. It's important not to limit yourself to simply donations of money, though, because many highly effective charities also provide a number of other valuable and worthwhile activities.
One such activity is fundraising. If you're looking for one of the top charities to donate to, look no further than asking your friends and colleagues for donations. Invite your friends and colleagues to join in with a simple fundraising campaign for a local charity you know and love. Invite your friends to email you with their individual ideas for the fundraising campaign, and to tell you how much money they are raising. By doing this you are providing an invaluable resource to fundraisers, and can thus greatly help raise the awareness of the charity and its cause.
Charities operating under the United States tax laws are required by law to register and keep up-to-date records regarding their finances. Nonprofit charities are also required to disclose the source of any revenue they receive, and to calculate their income and expenses against their goals. Donating to nonprofit charities is therefore a key way of helping to support these important institutions of society. Your tax dollars help to make the roads, houses, and hospitals of our country better; they help to keep the streets safe from crime and harm, and provide education, health care, and training for those who need it most.
In addition to being a key source of funds for many organizations, fundraising is an effective giving opportunity. It allows charities to reach out to and enlist the support of people who otherwise would not have given much thought to giving to charity. As a result, a growing number of people are taking their support to the causes they believe in and donating to charities. Some of the best charities to donate to in recent years have been those that give opportunities to ordinary people.
Effective altruism is the ideal that any person can give to charity in any amount they feel comfortable giving, regardless of how much money they have. Effective altruism is a philosophy about spending your money to create a positive effect in the world. It's not greedy, or self-centered, but a belief that caring and using your resources to create a more happy and successful world for yourself is a good way to live your life. Ineffective donations occur when a person gives money to a charity that has a poor impact on the lives of those who are helped. This is the reason most people find it hard to donate: either they don't understand what they're buying or they don't feel like the impact will be very great.
For this reason, the best charities to donate to are those that are creating an actual impact on the lives of those who give. Charities focusing on effective philanthropy have been able to do this by focusing on the lives of the people who will receive the donations rather than on the money they will raise. There are some great examples of successful and efficient nonprofit organizations that demonstrate this kind of effectiveness. Bill Gates is one example of an effective charity that emphasizes effective philanthropy. Other examples include feeding children in developing countries, supporting communities that face health problems and assisting animals, among others.
