Donations
GIVE BACK: One way to get involved in improving the state of the world is to donate to a worthy charity or make a micro-loan. Maybe you want to donate but don’t know where to direct the funds, or maybe you want to get into micro-lending. Small amounts can make a big difference. The $25 you provide may help feed the homeless or bring a young woman in a developing country closer to starting a small business which can help her community.
RESOURCES:
If you’re looking to give, then check out the following resources:
JustGive -JustGive connects you to nearly 1.5 million charities grouped into 19 categories to make your search easier and faster. It also offers a variety of giving mechanisms such as charity gift cards, charity wedding registry, charity gift collections, memorials and special event fundraising.
Network for Good -Imagine what the world would be like if every time you were inspired to help someone or something, you could — with just a few clicks of a mouse, anywhere online. That’s the mission of Network for Good. They make it as easy to donate and volunteer online as it is to shop online, and they make it simple and affordable for all nonprofits, of any size, to recruit donors and volunteers via the Internet.
Charity Navigator – Founded in 2001, Charity Navigator has become the nation’s largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities. To help donors, their professional analysts examine non-profit financial documents and develop a numbers-based rating system to assess the financial health of over 5,000 of America’s best-known charities. The site is navigable by charity name, location or type of activity and also features opinion pieces and other content.
YourCause – The mission of YourCause.com is to empower individuals to change our world—leveraging their own voices, networks, and spheres of influence to improve the lives of others.
If you’re looking to offer a micro-loan to a small social enterprise, then check out the following:
Kiva – Kiva is the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend to unique entrepreneurs around the globe. You can browse the entrepreneurs’ profiles, choose someone to lend to, and then make a loan. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates and track repayments. Then, when you get your loan money back, you can relend to someone else.
Micro – Micro helps you fund small loans by connecting one-on-one with the entrepreneur of your choice — each with a sound business idea, but no access to credit to qualify for a traditional loan. Micro is brought to you by World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.
Other ways to get involved are by volunteering, starting your own social enterprise or expanding your company’s corporate responsibility activities.
Contributed by Teresa Kay-Aba Kennedy, Ph.D., MBA. Part of the Power Living® Empowerment Series.
SHARE YOUR VOICE: Do you have other ideas for how people can get involved in making a difference in this world? Do you have a story the personal returns of donating to a good cause? Do you know of other useful resources for connecting with charitable opportunities? Share it here and inspire others to become a New World PWR Broker!
Photo Credit: Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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