Charity

Supporting/ donating to a charity is an admirable thing to do but choosing which one to support can be difficult. There are a number of factors involved when making a decision about who you should support and knowing which group or organisation you should support can take a little research.

Even really generous people will be unable to donate to every charity they are interested in. Which means you need to ask yourself some tough questions and decide which causes you really want to support.

Of course, you can donate to multiple charities if you have the funds but this isn’t a position many people are in. So, to help everyone decide which charity they should support I have compiled some questions you need to answer first.

What Are Your Preferences?  

This question might sound a little harsh but everyone will have a preference when it comes to donating to a cause. It could be animals/ wildlife, the environment, world hunger, homelessness, education and that is just a small sample of the possibilities.

Let’s say you want to bring clean fresh water to people then you could choose to support UK water projects. Sometimes you can find organisations to support that have more than one focus, although most charities will have a relatively singular focus. Think hard and decide which cause is most important to you and then you will have a better idea of who to support.

Have You Done Your Research?

The next thing you need to do is research the charities that meet your criteria. This could be quite a tricky and lengthy process since there could be multiple charities depending on the cause you want to support.

You will also need to decide if you want to support a group local to you or an international organisation. But once your research is done you should have whittled down your options to just a few. Remember you don’t need to just research the charities mission you also need to ensure it is legitimate.

There are multiple resources you can use to verify a charities legitimacy. But if you can’t find anything then don’t be afraid to ask the group to see its official listing or ask for more information. If you have a bad feeling about any particular group then don’t risk it.

How Much Can You Donate? 

By this point, if everything is going well you should have a charity in mind that you are ready to support. But make sure you answer this question before you do anything else. Generosity is important when it comes to supporting charities but you need to ensure it is something you can afford to actually do.

There is nothing to be ashamed off if you can’t support your desired cause right away, it is an admirable goal to work towards after all. But if you can afford to support your chosen charity then work out exactly how you are going to do it.

Many charities have plans in place that will take a set amount every week or month. But you don’t have to donate this way, many charities offer multiple different ways for you to donate so do what is best for you.

You don’t after to donate every week or month if you don’t think you can manage it, you could do it every other month instead. You can also choose the amount you will donate yourself you don’t have to follow a subscription plan. Once you have answered these three questions you will be ready to donate with a greater peace of mind and safety.