Making your donations count
Your newsfeed is a non-stop stream of distressing images of refugees fleeing Syria. Flyers seeking supporters for a new community women’s shelter clog your mailbox. Your sister-in-law, a passionate breast cancer survivor, asks you to back her run for a research hospital.
You want to help, but you’re spoilt for choice. In Canada alone, there are about 88,000 registered charities.
But how do you know if your donations make a difference? Here are four ways you can be a discerning donor.
1. Think like an investor.
Giving can be more than a visceral response to a yank at our heartstrings — it can offer real returns. Jason Saul, author and CEO of Mission Measurement, advises some of the world’s biggest companies, government agencies and non-profits on assessing their social impact. He says we need to think of donations as investments in our communities, and then ask what organizations deliver the best outcomes. For example, do you want to give to a non-profit that hands out winter coats to the homeless? Or support an organization that helps people off the streets and into mental health services and skills-training programs? Saul argues that both are noble efforts, but the latter is the investment in a lasting solution.
2. Do your homework.
You wouldn’t book a trip or buy a car without sizing up the competition — or scrolling through endless online reviews. Your donation dollars deserve equal analysis. Charity Intelligence Canada rates charitable organizations from zero to four stars. Money Sense magazine produces an annual Charity 100 list (in print and online), grading charities on criteria that include efficiency, governance and transparency.
3. Pick an Innovator.
Your donation dollars go further with an organization that’s innovative and looks for ways to deliver low-cost impact, says Saul. He cites Free The Children as an example. The charity has created curriculum and programs on social issues and volunteering that are embedded in the education system. Educators embrace the tools and deliver the learning. As students take on awareness and fundraising efforts that contribute to local and global causes, they also build leadership and problem-solving skills. Independent research shows the young people involved in this programming become more engaged in their schoolwork and acquire skills that better prepare them for the workplace.
4. Be a conscious consumer.
We allot a percentage of our budgets to charity, but we give even more when we buy brands that give back. Look for fair trade products, companies that align themselves with a charitable mission and support social enterprises, which make doing good a core part of their business. A recent Ipsos Reid and Cause Marketing Forum study finds that 84 per cent of us would switch brands (if price and quality were similar) to one that has a social impact. Spend with a social conscience. Spread the word and soon ethical shopping will be the norm.