Would you like to donate, but are wondering how you can best choose a good cause? Do you have a small budget, but still want to contribute? Did you know that you also help yourself by giving charity? Giving makes you happier than receiving. But how do you do that? Find out with these tips!
1. Think about what is important to you
Human rights, the environment, education for children, animal welfare; there are so many causes you can donate to. Think about which issue you find most important, for example ‘international aid and human rights’. It is reported that most people donate to education charities.
2. Choose a good cause
Then decide whether you want to support a local cause or a cause that operates worldwide. If you donate to a local cause, you can often better track its impact. But a global goal has a much wider reach. However, you should keep in mind that these are the worst charities to donate to even though their cause is noble. Do you research carefully as you want to make sure that your contributions are being used as efficiently and as effectively as possible.
Another question you can ask yourself: do you want to support a large or small initiative? A small initiative may need your donation more than a big cause, but your money can be spent more efficiently at a well-known, larger organization.
It is quite difficult to answer these questions if you want to choose a good cause. Reading into the organization can be a great help in this. What are the mission and vision of an organization? To what extent do they correspond with your values? Does the organization spend the money on things that are important to you? What percentage of the money actually goes to the goal? Check it and decide your goal based on this.
3. Decide how much you want to give
How much money can you easily donate? That is up to you and depends on how much you can and want to donate. It is great to donate money, but your financial future should not suffer. Building up one or more pots for when you need a new car, want to buy a house or retire is not an unnecessary luxury.
At the same time, it is good to realize that you can also make an impact with a small contribution. So you do not have to wait to donate until you earn more in a few years. Your wallet really won’t let you? Then you can also choose to work as a volunteer somewhere. This way you pay with your time and effort, instead of with money.
4. Give to local charities
There are also unrecognized charities that do an excellent job. This often concerns local initiatives or small-scale projects. Because these goals are not independently monitored, you cannot be sure that they are fair and transparent. It is therefore extra important that you do your homework well and read up on the organization.