I returned from vacation today to find my neighborhood newly populated with balsams, Christmas lights and the gentle clang of the Salvation Army Santa’s bell. While that and other national charitable organizations are certainly worthy benefactors of your Christmas/Hannucka/Kwanza spirit, why not consider donating to a local nonprofit instead/ in addition? What Boston’s nonprofit landscape lacks in quantity, it more than makes up for in innovation, accessibility and creativity, as the following five nonprofits demonstrate. Each offers multiple avenues of involvement, easy-to-use websites and visible and visible and tangible testaments of your impact.
1.) Cauzoom: On this “Community Cause Marketing” site, you get to pick or start a project, contribute directly, via giftcard or by spreading awareness. Recent projects include holiday gifts for foster children and their families in Woburn, art supplies for the Brookline Arts Center and the Northeast Animal Shelter Senior Visitation program in Salem.
2.) BiddingForGood: This 8 year-old organization is dedicated to what they’ve coined “Charitable Commerce. In practice, this means a website that operates along the same lines as Ebay, only the merchandise, events and trips are donated by businesses, and all the proceeds go to specified charities. Current biddables include four nights in a guest house in New Orleans’ French Quarter, benefitting the Williamsburg Northside Parent Association, awalk-on role on Weeds, benefiting the Larchmont Charter School in West Hollywood and 4 seats in the Patriots’ Putnum Club, benefiting the Jordan Boys and Girls Club.
3.) GoGirlGo! Boston: GoGirlGo! is a much-needed antidote to the skyrocketing childhood and teenage obesity rates. This comprehensive, collaborative-minded nonprofit provides a physical and mental well-being curriculum for girls between 8-18, assists promising young athletes with training and travel expenses and helps fund local organizations “that get girls moving.”
4.) SoChange: Simply put, SoChange allows you to effect social change by shopping at businesses that have agreed to support a given cause in exchange for your patronage. You can either fund an existing pledge or launch one on the website and SoChange will find a business to support it. Current pledges include ones to convince businesses to move money to local banks, train youth In need and donate to the Greater Boston Food Bank (this last one was started by Mayor Menino).
5.) Greenfox Schools: Products, Food, Energy, Waste and Greenspace: these are the five segments of the Greenfox5 model, the visual and practical pillar of Greenfox Schools’ sustainability education programs. Greenfox’s mission is to educate and impassion America’s youth about sustainability, and they do so via after-school classes (last year they put together an organic gardening course with City Sprouts for the Cambridge Community Schools) and service-oriented projects lead by sustainability experts. You can make financial donations or volunteer on one of the service projects.
This list is just a small bouquet from a large field–if you’d like to spotlight another local nonprofit, let me know in the comments!
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