#GivingTuesday, plus our book bounty giveaway!

Thanksgiving

Black Friday

Small Business Saturday

Cyber Monday

And a new tradition: 
#Giving Tuesday

Last year, a movement was born to kick off the holiday giving season. December 3, 2013 is #Giving Tuesday, an initiative that celebrates and encourages charitable activities that support non-profit organizations. 

Charitable solicitations abound, and it can be difficult to know who to trust and where to give.  Giving can be as simple as dropping coins in a can or donating a toy, but to have a bigger impact, it helps to do your research and determine a longer term plan.  Charity Navigator is one place to start.  For tips on giving, read their guide, and take some time to explore the rest of the site.  You’ll find more information such as:

Of the 6,800+ charities evaluated by Charity Navigator, the vast majority spend at least 75% of their budgets on the programs and services that they exist to provide, 10% or less on fundraising fees and 15% or less on administrative costs.

Prefer to give a hand up over a handout?

Microloans are another way you can have an impact. You choose an endeavor to support, you make a loan, you get updates on the progress, you get paid back, and you repeat the process again with a new project.  Kiva is a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty, and you can lend as little as $25. You can guess who created the Nerdfighters team on Kiva. “We loan because…we aim to decrease world suck.” 

Want to lend a hand?   

Volunteer Match helps individuals and groups find local non-profits who need your time. 
 

Charitable giving is something we tend to keep quiet about. 
Humblebrag:  So, you spent Saturday watching a Dr. Who marathon?  That sounds great.  My feet are killing me.  But at least I know hundreds of kids have a full belly due to my double shift at the food bank.

It doesn’t feel right to say, “Look what I did!” 
But the more people know about your efforts, the more likely they are to join you or support another cause that's important to them.  So please, shout out, so others can jump on board.  Here's one way to do it right now:

Leave a comment below and give a shout out to a charity/non-profit organization.  Everyone who leaves a comment by midnight on Saturday, Dec. 7th, will be entered in the YA Fusion book bounty giveaway.  On Sunday, Dec. 8th, I’ll randomly choose 5 winners.  The first name drawn will get the first choice of book, and so on. (If your email isn't on your Blogger profile, please include it with your comment.)

 Here are the books...

  

...and here’s my charity shout out: Ever wonder what the deal is with Ronald McDonald Charities?  I never thought I'd recommend anything associated with McDonalds, and it was a charity that I routinely dismissed until I started working as a social worker at Children’s Hospital in Detroit.

Ronald McDonald Houses are located at hospitals all around the country and provide a home-away-from-home so families can stay close to their hospitalized child.  The daughter of one of my friends had leukemia requiring hospitalization/treatment out of state for nearly a year.  Her mother was able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House, set up her laptop and continue working, while remaining only steps away from her daughter.  Her dad and siblings were able to visit and stay on weekends.  Donations make it possible for families to stay for little ($10) or no cost. 

Cash donations aren’t the only way to help.  Volunteers are needed to provide home-cooked meals and baked goods.  To learn more and to find a Ronald McDonald House near you, go here.

The YA Fusion blog team is shouting out about their favorite charities in the comments.  Thanks for sharing your recommendations too, and remember to spread the word about #GivingTuesday.

#GivingTuesday

Cheers!
Kristin Lenz