By Erin Gabriel
Art by Whitney Young

When the news is full of global crisis after global crisis, it’s not uncommon to feel a profound sense of helplessness when confronted with the myriad of complex issues so prevalent today. From ongoing genocides to pressing concerns such as climate change, gun violence, immigration and refugee crises, and women’s health accessibility, the array of challenges can be overwhelming. The natural question arises: What can one do to help? 

Answering that question seems complex. Which issues deserve your time or financial support? How do you ensure your contributions make a positive impact? However,  you can contribute to positive change through various avenues. 

Educating yourself is a fundamental step—stay informed through credible sources, reputable news outlets, and in-depth research. For example, if you want to learn more about how to take a stand on the Palestinian/Israeli crisis, you might look at the content Motaz Azaiza is sharing, he’s a photojournalist who is from Gaza and has firsthand experience with the history behind the current conflict. You want to look at first hand account sources that have an in-depth knowledge into the complexity behind a cause. A quick Google search, reading a book,or following activists on social media is a great place to start. 

Supporting nonprofits aligned with your values—either financially or through volunteering—is another impactful option. Advocating for change by engaging in conversations, leveraging your voice on social media, and inspiring others to take action can also be powerful. Reaching out to elected officials to prioritize key issues, actively participating in community events addressing specific challenges, and making conscious consumer choices that align with ethical and sustainable values are another route to take. Or, you can amplify the voices of marginalized communities and reflect on personal habits and lifestyle choices to further contribute to creating meaningful change.

There’s no definitive answer on how to make a difference; perhaps it’s a combination of the various approaches listed above or others we forgot to mention. However, the crucial element is taking action. Every action, regardless of size, adds to a collective endeavor for positive change. 

Yet, it’s easy to feel stuck, uncertain about which action to pursue, and consequently taking no action at all. Here are ways you can volunteer or provide financial support through nonprofit organizations. Check out our essential tips that will help you ensure that the charity you choose resonates with your values and aligns with your desire to create a positive impact.

When considering support for nonprofits, a thorough evaluation involves crucial steps:

Alignment of Values

Begin by scrutinizing the organization’s mission and vision to ensure they align with your values. You should be able to find this on the nonprofit’s website under a variation of its ‘About Us’ section’. 

Impact Assessment

Evaluate the charity’s outcomes, such as the number of people assisted, to gauge the organization’s effectiveness. Reach out to the nonprofit directly and ask them to send you this information. If they are hesitant to send it, that could be a bad sign. 

Financial Transparency

Scrutinize financial information for recency and accessibility, including program expenses, executive salaries, and fund allocation. Start with the IRS, you can do this by going to the IRS’s Tax Exempt Organization Search (TEOS). There, you can search for an organization and download its latest Form 990. Another option is making an account with an online service called GuideStar, basically the encyclopedia of nonprofits. There you should be able to find Form 990s spanning several years back. Additionally, you could look on the nonprofit’s website—it’s a great sign if they have it on their website because they are being transparent. Usually, this is under a section labeled “financials”, “reports”, or “transparency”. Lastly, you can just call them up. They are legally required to provide copies of their Form 990. 

Leadership and Employee Satisfaction

Investigate individuals associated with the organization, including leadership, employees, and board members to understand turnover rates, their ability to handle challenging questions, and individual associations whether that be political, religious, etc. Start by going to the nonprofit’s website and seeing if they have a directory of their staff and board members. Then you can do a good ole’ Google search to look into their background. Try looking out their social media accounts if available. In terms of employee satisfaction, I would suggest checking Glassdoor or Indeed’s reviews. You could also reach out to current or former employees via LinkedIn. 

Reputation Check

Explore the organization’s reputation through nonprofit rating sites and news coverage. The most common rating sites are Charity Navigator and Charity Watch. A quick Google search will also help you see potential news stories on the nonprofit. 

Hands-On Evaluation

Consider volunteering before committing financial support to witness the quality of their work firsthand. You can usually find information about volunteering on the website or can call for more information. 

Affiliations

Be mindful of any affiliations with religious or political organizations. Do you align with those same beliefs? If an organization says they are non-partisan do their actions align with that? There is no easy way to find this. A good place to start is by researching the C-Suite executives and the board members’ political affiliations with a quick Google search.

Avoiding Poverty Exploitation

Scrutinize potential participation in poverty exploitation, ensuring that media doesn’t exploit impoverished conditions for fundraising purposes. To check, you’ll want to look at the nonprofit’s website and social media pages. Do they position themselves as a “savior”, is the content exploiting or fetishing to garner sympathy or support? Put yourself in the shoes of someone possibly receiving support from this organization. Would you feel comfortable with what they are sharing and how they are portraying your life? Is everything portrayed as negative? Another great question to ask the organization is about how they gain consent to share the stories of those they serve. 

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These tips can help you avoid giving your money to organizations that don’t put their funding where their mouth is. Regrettably, some nonprofits exploit individuals who don’t do their research before giving a monetary donation. Take the Susan G. Komen organization as an example.

My family spent years supporting the foundation due to a personal connection—my grandmother’s battle with breast cancer. Then around 2014, we discovered the organization’s lack of support for Planned Parenthood and the CEO’s substantial $684,000 annual salary, as per their tax filing that year. According to Planned Parenthood in 2014 they began to notify them that they would no longer support breast cancer initiatives in their facilities and they would not be eligible for new grants due to political pressure from the right. 

Unwilling to back an organization with such practices, my family stopped donating to the foundation. But how many individuals still support the Susan G. Komen Foundation without knowing how their money is actually being used?  

Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated experience. There are too many nonprofits that mistreat employees, demean their beneficiaries, or exhibit poor financial stewardship. In a past role at an educational nonprofit, I witnessed the organization spending over $9,000 on luxury Viori jackets, an extravagant use of donor funds akin to providing Gucci coats for all Special Olympics coaches—an unnecessary and misguided allocation of resources.

That’s why it’s so important to take thoughtful action in an attempt to make the world a better place. It’s crucial not to idly stand by when the world requires our help; however, it’s equally vital to ensure that our efforts do not unintentionally do more harm than good.

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