Screenshot: Joel Cunningham
Donating a gift to a total stranger is a great way to celebrate the holiday spirit, but you have to know where and how to give first. Handing something to a random person on the street isn’t the most effective method, and some giving organizations don’t make it clear where your donations are actually going. Thankfully, there are plenty of trustworthy giving programs, too. Here are five places where you can donate a gift this year and trust it will go to someone who will appreciate it.
Toys for Tots
One of the most well-known donation programs is also one of the best. Only 3% of monetary donations to Toys for Tots go toward covering fundraising expenses, with the remaining 97% funneled directly to children in need. (If you need further convincing, you can check out the organizations’ tax forms and audits on its website.)
Toys of Tots also offers multiple ways to give, whether that’s in cash, by donating a toy, or by providing support for one of the organization’s social programs. An extensive network of local branches and easy-to-navigate online menus make it even easier to donate.
OneSimpleWish
A similar program is OneSimpleWish, which connects givers with foster children. The organization posts children’s specific wishes on their site, along with the dollar amount it’ll take to cover them. That way, you can donate the amount you want to purchase the item you want to, provided that matters to you.
In addition, the site hosts “big wishes” for families that are generally more expensive, such as a new washer and dryer; these items are crowd-funded. You can see the current progress of the funding, and decide to donate accordingly.
OneSimpleWish has a four-star rating from Charity Navigator and received a Top-Rated Award from GreatNonprofits, so you know your donation is actually going to help a foster child.
Prison Fellowship Angel Tree
Prison Fellowship runs year-round giving programs, but considering that donations in December account for 30% of annual giving, its Angel Tree program may be its biggest fundraiser. The program raises money to send gifts to children on behalf of their incarcerated parents. Since one in 49 children in the U.S. has a parent in prison, this is a chance to make a big difference in a lot of lives.
You can read the stories of real kids who’ve gotten gifts from Prison Fellowship Angel Tree if you want to know how these donations are impacting children. The program also accepts non-monetary donations and funds additional activities such as summer camps and sports camps.
Covenant House
Around the holidays, Covenant House focuses on providing support to homeless children. The organization operates in 31 cities across six countries, sheltering and caring for homeless and trafficked youth.
You can donate a gift in person at any of Covenant House’s locations or browse their gift catalog to donate online. They also accept monetary donations, and you can browse their audits and tax reports to ensure your donations are going directly to help kids in need.
r/RandomKindness
A less conventional way to donate a gift to a stranger this season is to look through the subreddit r/RandomKindness, which highlights requests from Redditors in need, letting you find a case that touches your heart that you can directly give to. If you have something specific in mind to give, you can make an offer and see if anyone needs it.
Some top posts this month include one Redditor thanking three users for making their birthday special; an offer for warm clothes and blankets; and $10 to Starbucks for someone who needed a pick-me-up.
The subreddit has rules for requests and offers, helping fight fraud and ensuring that people who actually need help are the ones getting it.
