There are some incredible people doing amazing work to make our world a better place, and there’s a lot we can offer to show our appreciation and support. Whether it’s your time, donations, or special skills, we encourage you to take a moment to learn about different charities, and help them help our communities.
Not all charities are created equal.
Supporting charities and non-profit organizations feels good and makes a difference, especially when they are aligned with causes we care deeply about. However, in some cases donations might not go towards supporting advertised causes and projects. Unfortunately, many charities mismanage funds, and others spend large amounts of donations towards charity operations, marketing, salaries, and more. The Center for Investigative Reporting rounded up a (terrifying) list of the 50 worst charities, including the Kids Wish Network, which they discovered spends less than 3 cents of every dollar raised helping sick kids.
Choose to support charities that are transparent with their spending, and that you feel comfortable and happy supporting.
In Canada, one resource is the Charity Law Information Program, which offers tips on finding good charities. At the end of the day, support charities that support causes that matter to you, that have an impact that you can see, feel and understand, and that have transparent budget breakdowns that you feel comfortable with. Ultimately, you’ll make your biggest impact when you support organizations that make a difference in matters important to you.
Find our favourite charities to support in The Wellness Intelligence Collective.
For more of our lessons in Empathy Economics click here.
