Charities I've Vetted and Love
Below are groups I've vetted with this process that address drawing down carbon, cleaning oceans, and helping those in poverty. I don't receive anything in exchange for providing these links. I've simply found these to be exemplary and am passing along the information. *See further below for who didn't make the cut.
If you want your biggest impact per dollar, become a member or a donor, which costs about $5-35, because membership numbers boost orgs' clout with legislators.
If you have a charity you'd like to see on this page, feel free to email me.
If you want your biggest impact per dollar, become a member or a donor, which costs about $5-35, because membership numbers boost orgs' clout with legislators.
If you have a charity you'd like to see on this page, feel free to email me.
For Cool Down August, donate to drawdown 1.5 tonnes for your month. This is based on the American annual footprint of 16 tonnes a year.
CoolEffect
This organization has Gold Certified projects to choose from to offset your goal quickly. Here's my favorite right now.
This organization has Gold Certified projects to choose from to offset your goal quickly. Here's my favorite right now.
This is a girl in a village that will benefit from methane capture.
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I love this project in China because it helps villagers
who live on about $1 a day. When you see "free" and "surplus" in the below points, know how significant that is to them. |
This fantastic project will cost you less than $.50 a day for the month of August when you donate to drawdown 1.5 tonnes:
If you'd like to educate yourself more on this powerful concept and why it's so important, listen to the first 20 minutes of this podcast on Care More, Be Better, a fantastic show (no affiliation).
- The methane is captured from animal and human waste, which makes villages healthier—important where health services are scarce.
- Provides free cooking fuel with methane (an odorless gas) instead of buying coal.
- Provides free fertilizer.
- Families sell surplus fertilizer for more income.
- Methane is 85x more powerful at trapping heat in our atmosphere than CO2 when you use it as fuel, the burning converts it to CO2, so it avoids global warming by 84x.
- Protects neighboring forests from being used for fuel.
If you'd like to educate yourself more on this powerful concept and why it's so important, listen to the first 20 minutes of this podcast on Care More, Be Better, a fantastic show (no affiliation).
World Land Trust
This wonderful group has been around since the mid 80s and is responsible for saving 600K acres of forest. None of the acres they have set aside to stay forest have subsequently been bulldozed, an incredibly impressive statistic. Some say a 1/2 acre will offset one year's worth of car driving at 26K miles/year. This stat is fraught with generalizations, but it's a start. (Not all trees filter at the same rate, not all cars get the same gas mileage.) See here for latest conversion. Not U.S. Tax Deductible.
This wonderful group has been around since the mid 80s and is responsible for saving 600K acres of forest. None of the acres they have set aside to stay forest have subsequently been bulldozed, an incredibly impressive statistic. Some say a 1/2 acre will offset one year's worth of car driving at 26K miles/year. This stat is fraught with generalizations, but it's a start. (Not all trees filter at the same rate, not all cars get the same gas mileage.) See here for latest conversion. Not U.S. Tax Deductible.
Oceana
They help with legislation to keep oceans healthy. U.S. Tax Deductible.
Ocean Conservancy
These guys have a Plastics Free Oceans campaign and work with governments across the world to devise systems so their plastic waste does not make it to the oceans. U.S. Tax Deductible
They help with legislation to keep oceans healthy. U.S. Tax Deductible.
Ocean Conservancy
These guys have a Plastics Free Oceans campaign and work with governments across the world to devise systems so their plastic waste does not make it to the oceans. U.S. Tax Deductible
African Children's Aid, Education, and Development Foundation
This orphanage works in Nigeria, one of the countries from which we get our rare earth minerals for all of our electronics. It is one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the world. This org takes in abandoned and tortured Nigerian children who are labeled "witches." Kids are returned to health so that the villagers take them back once they realize they are not cursed. Often the parents abandon the children because the parents will be killed by the townsfolk once a child has been labeled as a witch. "Poverty is actually a twin sister to ignorance," per a volunteer. This is not U.S. Tax deductible.
Against Malaria
Donate if you have electronics. The rare earth minerals come from countries so poor people can't afford nets and play Russian Roulette with malaria while they sleep. Those most likely to die are women, children and the elderly. It also affects the whole economy due to family members being unable to work as they care for the sick. One net costs $2, lasts for 3–4 years and prevents two people from bites from mosquito infected with malaria. According to their metrics, every 600 nets purchased ($1,200) saves a life.
Amnesty International
Crusaders for human rights who go to the darkest places and speak up for those who have no voice. A word on clothing company manufacturers, often they keep workers from forming unions by threats and physical violence. Amnesty International would be an organization that would help those guys out. Their starting suggested donation is $35. U.S. Tax Deductible.
Haiti on the Rise
This group supports Haiti in rebuilding after repeated natural disasters and educating children and adults. Haiti is one of the countries where our clothing is made, like t-shirts. ** See disclosure, below.
This orphanage works in Nigeria, one of the countries from which we get our rare earth minerals for all of our electronics. It is one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the world. This org takes in abandoned and tortured Nigerian children who are labeled "witches." Kids are returned to health so that the villagers take them back once they realize they are not cursed. Often the parents abandon the children because the parents will be killed by the townsfolk once a child has been labeled as a witch. "Poverty is actually a twin sister to ignorance," per a volunteer. This is not U.S. Tax deductible.
Against Malaria
Donate if you have electronics. The rare earth minerals come from countries so poor people can't afford nets and play Russian Roulette with malaria while they sleep. Those most likely to die are women, children and the elderly. It also affects the whole economy due to family members being unable to work as they care for the sick. One net costs $2, lasts for 3–4 years and prevents two people from bites from mosquito infected with malaria. According to their metrics, every 600 nets purchased ($1,200) saves a life.
Amnesty International
Crusaders for human rights who go to the darkest places and speak up for those who have no voice. A word on clothing company manufacturers, often they keep workers from forming unions by threats and physical violence. Amnesty International would be an organization that would help those guys out. Their starting suggested donation is $35. U.S. Tax Deductible.
Haiti on the Rise
This group supports Haiti in rebuilding after repeated natural disasters and educating children and adults. Haiti is one of the countries where our clothing is made, like t-shirts. ** See disclosure, below.
League of Conservation Voters
These guys look after U.S. forests, streams, and coastlands. 4/4 stars on Charity Navigator. U.S. Tax Deductible. They consider anyone who donates over $5 to be a member.
Rain Forest Action Network
4/4 stars on Charity Navigator. They work on a global scale to change corporate American practices that decimate our rain forests (mono-crops, new paper pulp consumption, disastrous farming practices). They've been at it for 30 years and have an impressive record. They look to donors to contribute at least $25. The also have a great analysis of how much you owe annually for your gas and electricity consumption. U.S. Tax Deductible.
These guys look after U.S. forests, streams, and coastlands. 4/4 stars on Charity Navigator. U.S. Tax Deductible. They consider anyone who donates over $5 to be a member.
Rain Forest Action Network
4/4 stars on Charity Navigator. They work on a global scale to change corporate American practices that decimate our rain forests (mono-crops, new paper pulp consumption, disastrous farming practices). They've been at it for 30 years and have an impressive record. They look to donors to contribute at least $25. The also have a great analysis of how much you owe annually for your gas and electricity consumption. U.S. Tax Deductible.
* Didn't Make the cut
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMUNITY
Yes, these guys get 4 out of 4 on CN, but their president, Miliband, receives a $900K salary and has received over a $240K in raises in two years as of 2019. Madeleine Albright, who is involved with the organization, played a part in keeping wars going that caused what this organization is now trying to fix. On one hand, I know of someone who donates to them because of their impressive stats and he thinks if people are making up for past mistakes, then it's okay. Another person I know worked with volunteers and said they're extremely well organized. On the other hand, some feel donating to them gives a green light to people who never publicly acknowledged and apologized for their actions that connect them to the atrocities. It's also argued that if they care so much about the poor, why are they making so much off of them? Miliband, the president, is not the only one receiving a generous salary. If you don't want to support IRC, a great alternative is Amnesty International. I donated $250 to IRC before learning of their past and asked for my money back and explained why (president's income). To the org's credit, they willingly refunded my money.
https://www.forbes.com/companies/international-rescue-committee/#1350bf26b5ad
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7516155/Million-dollar-Miliband-Former-Labour-Ministers-pay-soars-911-000-refugee-charity.html
See controversies on Madeleine Albright at this link. She's an "overseer" of IRC.
Yes, these guys get 4 out of 4 on CN, but their president, Miliband, receives a $900K salary and has received over a $240K in raises in two years as of 2019. Madeleine Albright, who is involved with the organization, played a part in keeping wars going that caused what this organization is now trying to fix. On one hand, I know of someone who donates to them because of their impressive stats and he thinks if people are making up for past mistakes, then it's okay. Another person I know worked with volunteers and said they're extremely well organized. On the other hand, some feel donating to them gives a green light to people who never publicly acknowledged and apologized for their actions that connect them to the atrocities. It's also argued that if they care so much about the poor, why are they making so much off of them? Miliband, the president, is not the only one receiving a generous salary. If you don't want to support IRC, a great alternative is Amnesty International. I donated $250 to IRC before learning of their past and asked for my money back and explained why (president's income). To the org's credit, they willingly refunded my money.
https://www.forbes.com/companies/international-rescue-committee/#1350bf26b5ad
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7516155/Million-dollar-Miliband-Former-Labour-Ministers-pay-soars-911-000-refugee-charity.html
See controversies on Madeleine Albright at this link. She's an "overseer" of IRC.
** Disclosure
Haiti on the Rise is an organization run by my friend who is from Haiti. Unlike other western cultures, the civic organizations in Haiti are virtually non-existent. It is the spiritual leaders who are the hub for community and she is a catholic, as are about 80% of Haitians. For those of you are devoutly atheist and shun any religious group, "Haiti on the Rise" is not bent on spreading the word of God above all else. They simply work with religious groups, not just catholics, because Haitians' civic spending is way lower, so religious groups take up the slack. Many of the best schools in Haiti are run by religious groups, as are the orphanages.
