It’s been a great year! I am very fortunate in so many ways and am well aware that others aren’t quite as fortunate. As I do every year around this time, I donate money to different charitable organizations. Thanks to my Sponsors, I am able to give even more back this year! Thanks to my readers, I am able to have sponsors so that I can give more back each year, so a big thanks to all of you as well!!
There are many different charities out there which makes it difficult to choose where to give. To help me this year, I used Charity Navigator to select which organizations I donate to. This site has evaluated over 9,000 charities and has given each a rating with regards to its Financial Health, Accountability and Transparency.
I narrowed down a list of mostly 4-star charities (their highest rating) and solicited the help of my family to choose five to donate to:
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)– To seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.
- Make-A-Wish Foundation– To grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.
- Navy SEAL Foundation– To provide educational and motivational support, promote health and welfare programs for the Naval Special Warfare Community, and perpetuate the history and heritage of the U.S. Naval Commandos.
- The American Red Cross– To prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.​
- Project Sunshine– Centralized around spreading sunshine and by doing so we are able to restore a crucial sense of normalcy to the pediatric healthcare environment.
Happy Holidays!!
You can give generously with a lot less money or no money at all. There is a chain of blog posts on the topic. Check out what others are doing!
- Anchor: ChiefMomOfficer – I’m Sick Of Christmas Materialism – Instead Lets Make A Difference #actsofkindness
- Link 2: ForeignBornMD – Holiday Season, Giving Back
- Link 3: Kiwi and Keweenaw Simplifying through #ActsofKindness – Kiwi and Keweenaw
- Link 4: Physician on FIRE – A Quarter Million in DAFs: A Retirement Goal Achieved – Physician on FIRE
- Link 5: Budget on a Stick – An Unexpected Gift #actsofkindness
- Link 6: Working Optional – Thankful For What I Have Received
- Link 7: Mama Fish Saves – Top Charities to Get Kids Involved in Giving
- Link 8: TheGroundedEngineer – Giving Thanks and Why I’m Considering a Donor Advised Fund
- Link 9: 99to1percent – Giving Thanks And The 6 Gifts that Keep on Giving
- Link 10: Smile & Conquer — One Small Thing
- Link 11: Jenny — The Best Thing You Can Give Your Family? Kindness
- Link 12: Downsize Your 2080 — Think Outside the Christmas Gift Box
- Link 13: Spills Spot — Use Your Platform to Help Others
- Link 14: The Three Year Experiment — The Best Christmas Gifts for That Person Who Has It All
- Link 15: Millionaire Doc —Volunteerism, #ActsofKindness
- Link 16: Atypical Life — Holiday Season Acts of Kindness
- Link 17: Wealth Rehab — ‘Tis the Season for Giving
Thank you for joining our #actsofkindness chain. While we pick from our local community to give to, it is always helpful to have a bigger group of charities to pick-up, so thank you for the link to the Charity Navigator.
Thanks for leading the charge!
Great work, A$O! Those are all wonderful organizations. Charity Navigator is a great tool. I use GuideStar. If you want to drill into an organization’s financials on it, you have to join, but it’s free. You can see what the top execs are being paid, how much money goes to what kind of programs, etc.
Thanks!