Philanthropy

How to Give Back on Giving Tuesday


In the midst of Thanksgiving Thursday, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and an extended stay with your beloved in-laws, the very last thing on your mind may be: what am I doing for Giving Tuesday?

Or even: what is Giving Tuesday, anyway?

Giving Tuesday is a chance to give back after the initial rush of Thanksgiving and the holiday shopping season subsides. The “global giving movement” was started in 2012 to help fund nonprofits focusing on a range of causes across the U.S. and the world. Since its inauguration, the movement has grown enormously—from just $12 million in 2012 to a whopping $168 million in 2016—and it’s expected to surpass $201 million in donations this year, according to Whole Whale, a data firm.

So who does this cash go to? According to the group’s 2017 report, donations made on Giving Tuesday historically benefit groups supporting education, children’s services, women and girls, health, and disaster recovery.

Checking Charities Out

The discerning giver will want to do some quick investigating into a nonprofit before cutting it a check, and there are a few resources available. In particular, prospective donors can review the nonprofit’s public financial information, particularly the IRS Form 990 statements. A glance can reveal any nonprofit’s location, mission statement, tax exemption status, and financial state, including its assets and annual budgets. These forms are often available on the organizations’ websites, and there are multiple websites that compile 990s and allow users to search.

You might be surprised at some of the more innocuous-sounding groups actually do. CRC has compiled a list of a few items you might not know without looking at their filings:

The Center for Community Change (CCC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that says it wants to help every American “thrive and achieve their full potential.” But it also promotes the interests of illegal immigrants through its super PAC, Immigrant Voters Win, which raised more than $10 million for the 2016 presidential election – $3 million of which came from left-wing billionaire George Soros. CCC also funds the Fight for $15 minimum wage campaign fomented by the massive Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

(Read our full report on the SEIU’s political schemes here.)

America Votes is a 501(C)(4) nonprofit that bills its role as helping to “coordinate and promote progressive issues” and campaigns. That’s true enough – but America Votes is also the tool of choice for longtime Democratic Party operatives—including former Clinton administration official Harold Ickes, former SEIU president Andy Stern, and Sierra Club executive director Carl Pope—to craft a permanent advocacy and voter mobilization hub for left-wing causes armed with millions of dollars.

Ever wonder what the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) does? According to its website, CPD is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that “works to create equity, opportunity and a dynamic democracy” for a “pro-worker, pro-immigrant” agenda. That doesn’t tell you the whole story on CPD’s support for the radical group Black Lives Matter; or CPD’s campaign to pool far-left policy ideas from America’s most liberal cities and spread them to other cities, including “sanctuary” status laws for illegal immigrants.

These are just a few examples in a growing trove of nonprofit information you can use to make sure your money goes to a cause you support, and not one with the best-sounding name.

Hayden Ludwig

Hayden Ludwig is the Director of Policy Research at Restoration of America. He was formerly Senior Investigative Researcher at Capital Research Center. Ludwig is a native of Orange County, California,…
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