Around the world, the end of the year is a time of celebration and giving. In the United States, an estimated $75-100 billion—about one-quarter of all philanthropic gifts[1]—will be made between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. In time for this all-important season, we present our fifth-annual High Impact Year-End Giving Guide . Recently featured in the New York Times Giving Supplement, this free online guide was developed for those who want to understand how their gifts can make as great a difference as possible. Here’s what you’ll find:
- Seven specific high impact opportunities handpicked by our team and analyzed for evidence of impact and cost-effectiveness. These opportunities include ways to curb newborn deaths in the developing world; stem summer learning loss for low-income kids; combat blight in cities across the US; and provide economic opportunity to the world’s poorest of the poor.
- In the wake of an alarming rise in opioid addiction, we highlight three organizations working to reduce addiction’s enormous human and economic toll in the US.
- Our perennial tips for effective disaster relief, including how to address the specific challenges of disaster philanthropy and a list of key organizations around the world working to create continued stability for displaced populations.
- Primer on early childhood environmental health, an evolving and often overlooked field for social impact. Given the long-lasting dangers associated with exposing children to toxic chemicals in their first 1,000 days, there’s much to learn about how our use of the environment impacts the next generation of children. We offer suggestions on how donors can support existing efforts.
In addition, to help you make as informed a choice as possible, we offer websites for identifying nonprofits to support, suggestions on how to avoid fraud, and general tips on how to turn year-end giving into year-round impact.
Last, but not least, be sure to check out our new eight-episode podcast series, Philanthropy Unfiltered, produced in partnership with Ubuntu Education Fund. The series features candid conversations on giving, innovation & social change. Abigail Disney discusses the power of film; Rob Kaplan defines venture philanthropy; Dan Pallotta expands on his popular TED talk questioning current approaches to nonprofit financing; and more. These are conversations you won’t want to miss.
The season of giving is upon us. We hope these resources help you turn this annual season of giving into year-round impact. Happy holidays and happy giving.
[1] Estimated using Giving USA 2015