Make a Difference on Black Friday
How do you plan to spend Black Friday
Over the past years, we've chosen to spend the time leading up to Black Friday and Thanksgiving as a reminder to give back. It is close enough to the end of the year for tax planning, budgeting and reviewing the year that is almost past. For us this a a time to reflect, be thankful and give back.
In the years past, we spent much time researching the organizations, to find organizations that would effectively deploy funds for the intended purpose. We required some due diligence to ensure that they are used for the intended purpose.
We used Charity Navigator, to research, screen and filter. The site provides a rating to each organization and provides details on the mission, impact, financials, performance and compensation to management.
It is also our trusted source and link to the intended recipients website and contact details.
How we choose to spend our time
Instead of making that purchase for a material item that we really don't need, why not make a difference. How much satisfaction does that new gadget give one?
Do we really need the shiny new toy ?
Would we make the purchase, if we were not brainwashed into believing that it was a good deal ?
You deserve it
By all means make that purchase that you, the kids or a family member could really benefit from. In some cases this is the only time of year that we can reward ourselves and may have saved up for months for a purchase. We can use the system to our advantage to purchase that product or solutions that will add value.
RIP Medical Debt
Our most recent addition in the past years is RIP medical debt. RIP was featured on John Oliver's show in 2016 (scroll past the ads to see the relevant content). Charity navigator does not have a rating yet. RIP's FAQ lists the following response and link to GuideStar.
Giving is personal
Charitable donations are a personal choice and we can only share what works for us. Use the tools and research to find the organization that you believe in. Perform your own due diligence.
Other research options
In addition to performing a search on your search engine of choice, the following hashtags on social media should assist
#impactgiving #nonprofitratings #nonprofit #nonprofits #charities #nonprofitleadership
