There are millions of charities across the globe that you can donate your money to, but what are some organizations you can trust will use your money towards their cause? We’ve gathered some amazing places where you can donate money and see positive change happen in the world.
Kiva
Kiva.org – Instead of giving money to a charity, you can use kiva.org to make a zero-interest loan (as little as $25) to individuals or groups trying to make a better life for themselves or for their communities, many of which are in third-world countries. Kiva works in 62 different countries and the average repayment rate for the loans is 98.98%. You’ll receive email updates about what the group or individual is doing with the money and you can watch as they repay the money back into your Kiva account. Your money becomes “Kiva Credit”, which you can then withdraw or reuse on the site to help another person who desperately needs it.
St. Jude Children’s Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital aims to find cures for cancer and other life-threatening diseases in children , and strives to keep its promise that no family is turned away due to inability to pay hospital fees. Your donation will go towards research and for paying hospital fees for children. You can choose make a one-time donation or donate monthly to the hospital.
National Alliance to End Homelessness
With the recent economy in the state it’s in, many have found themselves in financial rough patches – some have even undergone foreclosure and are now homeless. Every night in America, 650,000 people have no home to go to or bed to sleep in. That’s where the National Alliance to End Homelessness comes in. Donate between $50 to $2500 or even more to this organization to help the alliance fight for the homeless legally and help educate and kick-start groups across the nation to help the homeless.
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross isn’t just an organization that sponsors blood drives – its volunteers work across the globe, responding to disasters, educating and teaching, and helping the military and their families. You have three donation options – to give the money to wherever it’s most needed, specifically to disaster relief, or to your local Red Cross chapter.
Donate to Crowd Funding
Kickstarter is the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects, ranging from helping rock bands get off their feet to film festivals getting their funding. Search through different creative projects by category like Art, Film and Video, Music, Publishing, Technology, and Theater, or by city where the project is located. Each project has a goal, and the more money you pledge, the more goodies you get in return from the project, like a free music download from the band you’re supporting or the chance to win a DVD of the film you want to fund. Each project has a special page with information about the project and also updated progress bars, so you can track how much time is left to pledge, how many people have backed the project so far, and how much money has been made.
Want More Options?
Find the Best Rated Charities
Looking to find more information about where your money is going and find a specific charity for a cause you care about? The American Institute of Philanthropy compiled and rated charities into multiple categories for you to search through, basing their ratings on rigorous analysis, including how much of your money is actually going towards the cause you intend it to. The site, named Charity Watch, also provides articles and letter grade ratings on hundreds of charities, giving you a clearer idea about giving in general. Pick and choose between 600 charities and find the one that’s the perfect fit.
