While most Americans spend Black Friday lining up for “Doorbuster” sales and heading to the shopping malls for their holiday gifts, there’s a movement toward a different approach. A few weeks ago, retailer giant REI announced their #OPTOUTSIDE campaign that they’d close their stores the day after Thanksgiving to encourage employees and customers to spend time outdoors instead of shopping. While perhaps some of us are really okay to not shop and many of us will actually take REI up on their outdoor challenge, a number of people choose to give monetarily to an important cause (despite charitable giving being down in the U.S. this year….). So, this holiday season, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite organizations to encourage giving this year!
This list is by no means exhaustive; feel free to leave a comment if you have other suggestions as well! None of these organizations speaking to you? You can search for organizations to give to through sites such as Charity Navigator, Give.org, Great Nonprofits, or Guidestar.
A few recommended charitable organizations to consider:
Net Impact — empowers a new generation to drive social and environmental change on their campuses and throughout their careers
Girls Inc. – encourages all girls to be smart, strong, and bold
National Association of Women Business Owners – propels women entrepreneurs into economic, social and political spheres of power worldwide
Women Venture – helps women attain economic self-sufficiency through the creation and growth of profitable and sustainable businesses
Catalyst – expands opportunities for women and business; dedicated to creating more inclusive workplaces where employees representing every dimension of diversity can thrive
Women’s Global Empowerment Fund – reach poor and underserved women in northern Uganda; work for social justice, increased human security and women’s empowerment.
Association for Women in Science – champions the interests of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics across all disciplines and employment sectors
