Giving Tuesday is the biggest day of generosity all year. There are so many ways you can give back! We’ve curated these 5 collections of nonprofits we love to inspire you this Giving Tuesday. From supporting people with disabilities and combatting injustice in our criminal system to empowering first-generation students and protecting our planet, these incredible nonprofits are doing the good work to make the world better for all.
⚖️ Nonprofit Collection: Combating Injustice in the Criminal Justice System
It is hard to imagine that today, thousands of innocent people in the United States are placed in jail or prison for a crime that they did not commit. Since 1989, there have been 2,095 exonerations of innocent inmates in the United States. In that time, over 18,250 years were served by those wrongfully convicted. Not only this, 1 in 25 people waiting on Death Row are innocent. It is devastating that thousands of people have lost a huge part of their life if not forced to end their life due to a mistake from the criminal justice system while suffering from the lack of legal assistance for those in poverty.
And for many, racism and racial bias is what led to their wrongful convictions.
Nonprofit organizations such as the Innocence Project, Equal Justice Initiative, and Centurion are committed to exonerating the wrongly convicted. The Deskovic Foundation is dedicated to exonerating the wrongfully convicted in both DNA and non-DNA cases, as well as wrongful conviction prevention. East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) and National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) works to reform the criminal justice system by delivering legal assistance to those who cannot afford it. Other organizations like the Bail Project combat mass incarceration as well as racial and economic disparities in the bail system by paying bail for people in need. Join these organizations in their fight to eliminate injustice in the criminal justice system!
🎓 Nonprofit Collection: Empowering First-Generation Students
First-generation college students face a unique set of obstacles ranging from academic, professional, financial, to psychological. While first-generation students are just as intelligent and hardworking as their non first-generation peers, they tend to lack necessary resources, making it harder for them to navigate the complex college system. Almost half of first-generation students attend community college, compared to 25% of students from college-educated parents. Additionally, as much as 89% of first-generation college students that come from low-income households leave college after six years without completing their degrees.
These nine organizations may be the difference between attending college or not and graduating for many first-gen students. Questbridge matches eligible students to full-ride scholarships, increasing the percentage of talented low-income and first-generation students attending the nation’s best colleges. Nonprofits like LEAP for Education, Bottom Line, First Graduate, Yonkers Partners in Education provide financial and academic counseling to students. Get involved in eliminating barriers to education by supporting these great nonprofits.
🦍 Nonprofit Collection: Wildlife Conservation
The diversity of our natural world is important, however, wild animals face extinction due to deforestation and poaching every day. These organizations work towards conserving natural habitats, endangered species, or both! Panthera, International Rhino Fund and the Jane Goodall Institute work to conserve endangered wild cats, rhinos and apes, respectively. Although their logo is a Panda, the World Wildlife Fund provides local communities with resources to help conserve the environment and protect all endangered species. The Nature Conservancy and The Sierra Club focus on defending and conserving the lands, waters and all natural systems on which wildlife depends. All of our selected organizations envision a world where wildlife populations are no longer endangered and all natural habitats are restored.
💦 Nonprofit Collection: Clean Water For All
790 million people live without access to clean water and 1.8 billion people live without access to adequate sanitation (CDC). A lack of clean water and sanitation results in illnesses which prevent people from attending school or going to work, inhibiting them from learning or making a living. All these great organizations vow to help communities and villages around the world by building access to clean water and providing resources for good sanitation. These organizations have an immense global reach- WaterAid alone has brought clean water, toilets and good hygiene to over 66 million people so far. Access to clean water changes lives by opening doors to good health, hygiene and safer conditions.
🧠 Nonprofit Collection: Break the Stigma
The breadth and scope of mental health are difficult to conceptualize. Mental illness affects adults and youth, knows no race nor class, and isn’t confined to just one region. 1 out of every 5 people each year impacted, so it’s inevitable that someone we know and love is managing their mental health. Organizations like National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance provide services and support to those with anxiety and depression among other conditions while the Trevor Project helps those struggling with suicide. Samaritans offers a crisis helpline to provide a listening ear to those in need. All in all, these organizations hope to reduce the stigma and help those who need resources access them.
