Photo by Gustavo Fring
Finding charities to help makes you feel fulfilled for returning the blessings you’ve received, but you must see to it that you are helping the right ones.
Charities are organizations that provide assistance to those in need. These programs are specific to the types of people they are helping. For example, some charities specialize in providing care for children with cancer, while others could be for stray animals or education for the youth.
If you are looking for the best ways to look for charities to help, you must consider the following:
Identify Your Advocacy
As a donor, you must know your cause and align it with the charity you want to help. Identifying your cause or advocacy will make it easier for you to give assistance in any form. One thing you can do is create a philanthropic book, where you can get ideas on your journey as a philanthropist in the future.
Evangelize with Me by Ariston P. Awitan, Jr., M.D. is an example of a philanthropic book that enlists the different charities the author wants to help. This book provides its readers with ideas on which charities they can help to support the people in need.
So, what is your advocacy or principle? Do you support the sick? Do you want to assist the poor? List down every advocacy you can think of and decide which ones to connect with. If philanthropy is new to you, you can always start with one.
Be Familiar with the Charity
As a philanthropist, you must be familiar with the charity you are helping. Paul Schervish of Boston College’s Center on Wealth and Philanthropy, you must not make rash decisions when giving to charities. Yes, you can always give something to the people who need it, but you have to make sure that you are wholeheartedly willing to also give to the charity’s advocacy.
Know Your Impact
Giving support and assistance to charities makes you feel great for being a good person. However, you must also ask yourself if your help can impact your cause locally or globally. Different charities have their own range of reaching out.
Based on the charity you support, do you know how and where your assistance ends up? Does it provide great help locally or globally? Sometimes, you must also see to it that your charity would support the people you expect to assist.
According to Una Osili, Indiana University’s professor of economics and philanthropic studies, you must not see it as “global vs. local” as it would hinder your cause as a philanthropist. What you must do is know where your assistance goes and how it helps the person, group, or animal.
No matter how little your contribution is, it should have an impact on the community. It does not matter how big or small their scales are.
Check for Red Flags
Not all charities will do good for the community. Some of them are scams. As a philanthropist with clear advocacy, you should know the different red flags a certain charity is waving. Some charity scams will only launder your money and assistance for personal use. Those branded clothes you donate could be in the wrong hands and sold to people for a huge amount of money.
There are websites where you can check for legitimate charities. You may also look for philanthropic autobiographies that will help you find the best charities to assist. Additionally, you may connect to different institutions to find a legitimate organization.
Again, you must see to it that the organization you support is aligned with your principle or advocacy.
Volunteer If You Must
Charities don’t only rely on money and donations. Some of them need volunteers to create more impact for their causes. As a philanthropist, you can use your talent to help with your volunteering. To do this, you must connect to your charity and ask what else you can do to help them. You can always offer your services for graphics, advertising, marketing, and other things to support the advocacy of your charity.
Our philanthropy is a product of how we are thankful for our blessings and how strong our altruism is. We always have a sense of charity, making us think and feel we have a great connection with God through faith. God wants us to succeed, and we are emulating His love for us and for His creations.