Learn to Donate Easily and Conveniently

International charity organizations exist to tackle many of the issues affecting people around the world, with services such as building schools to providing disaster relief. Humanitarian efforts are made to increase access to clean water and to defend human rights, for example. While all of these established organizations have specific missions and goals, you may find that new trends in giving make it possible for you to contribute to a wide variety of causes without becoming overwhelmed.

Helping others doesn’t have to be hard. Recognizing worthy recipients of your charitable giving planning doesn’t have to be risky. As you approach some of the following recommendations for convenient giving, use the following tips to guide your efforts.

•          Research the issues and organizations.
•          Limit the number of organizations receiving your money to make a bigger impact.
•          Support organizations with verifiable results.
•          Do more than giving money. Think about volunteering and other ways to address social issues.

Recurring Donations to Your Favorite Charities

Many charitable organizations have taken advantage of emerging technology to make it easier than ever to schedule recurring donations. Some of the top advantages to this method of donating are the ease of factoring your gifts into your budget and the chance to set the donations up for a specified length of time and then not having to do anything else. If you don’t have a charity in mind, take advantage of a DAF. The donor-advised funds are basically savings accounts that you can treat like an investment. As the money adds up, you choose where you want to donate.

Focus on Problems That Touch Your Heart

If there’s an issue near and dear to your heart, there’s probably a nonprofit organization that addresses it. Some of the most popular include UNICEF, with sponsors from many countries, including Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, and Human Rights Watch, a global organization committed to upholding human dignity and protecting human rights. If you love art, check out the work charitable work of the Museum of Modern Art. Maybe you like to be actively involved in bringing about change; check out the Do Something site. Make a donation that will be used as a loan and repaid for another beneficiary to use through Kiva.

Whether you’re focused on children, animals, oceans, education, the elderly, veterans, free speech, research, conservation, or another issue, you can find an organization already doing work in that field. You can also combine your efforts with a church, school, business, or government agency in your area.

Take Advantage of Charitable Technology

Maybe you do a lot of online shopping; some retailers give you the chance to direct a percentage of your purchases toward a charity of your choice. AmazonSmile, for example, encourages you to put a portion of the money you spend toward charities including the Wounded Warrior Project, the World Wildlife Fund, Heifer International, and Habit for Humanity International. The actual amount you donate may be small, but combined with the many other shoppers also contributing, you can actually be part of a much bigger donation.

Modern donors tend to prefer to make their donations online. About half of donors participate in a recurring donation program, and a significant portion of those do so on a monthly basis. The ease of scheduling a regular online donation is attractive to donors of many types. The allure of modern fundraising methods has attracted enough attention that many studies have been completed to determine the most successful concepts, including one- or two-tap giving and play-to-give apps.

Give Gifts in Another’s Name

You may have family and friends who have embraced the minimalist movement or who simply have everything they need. Some of your loved ones may simply appreciate the opportunity to be part of charitable giving. When birthdays and holidays roll around, consider making a donation in your loved one’s name for a cause close to their heart.

Choose a Philanthropic Employer

Many millennials, and other modern employees, today seek jobs with companies that have a reputation for social and environmental responsibility. Companies that offer volunteer or donation opportunities have seen a dramatic increase in participation and donations. Take a job with a company that focuses on social responsibility for convenient access to opportunities to do good. If you’re an employer, pay attention to the causes important to your staff, design giving opportunities that involve employees, and look for issues relevant to your community.

Become an Angel Investor

Affluent professionals find satisfaction in providing start-up funds to new businesses. These donors may be doctors or seasoned professionals. They must have a net worth of at least $1 million and meet the definition of accredited investors established by the Securities Exchange Commission. If you’re interested in becoming an angel investor, research the opportunities, risks, and procedures before getting started. Once you’ve established yourself, you can decide whether to provide further assistance through mentoring and encouragement.

If you’ve hesitated to participate in charitable opportunities in the past, today may be the time to start. With modern technology and many opportunities at work and in the community, you could easily and safely give charitable efforts a try.