It’s been said Giving Tuesday is “a day dedicated to giving on purpose with purpose”. I’m not sure who coined the phrase first, but I like it! Last month, we talked about the importance of going deep with organizations to understand how we’re helping those we intend to help. And while giving once on a particular day (i.e. Giving Tuesday) isn’t necessarily going deep, it is a day set aside to purposely give to causes we care about. It’s a day to be intentional with our giving, and today I hope to help you bring your intentionality to another level by sharing organizations I’d support this Giving Tuesday and WHY. These organizations are ones I’ve personally gone deeper with either by spending my time supporting, interacting with, or supporting financially (and in most cases, all of the above!). Even better yet, they all embody the idea of “Helping Without Hurting”, a theme threaded throughout most of the stories we’ve read together - one being the organization who designed the framework itself!
Ready? Let’s dig in!
1) The Chalmers Center
Located in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, The Chalmers Center is well known for defining and teaching what has become somewhat of an industry standard around how to help people living in poverty. You may recall their “Helping Without Hurting” messaging from any one of my stories (like this one!), because it’s often threaded throughout many as a general theme. Personally, I’m so thankful for the guidance of their work as I’ve become more intimately familiar with global poverty. Their methodology is rooted in the fact that we all have poverty on some level, and for some, it might just be more outwardly apparent through material poverty, while others of us may have emotional, physical, or spiritual poverty which can be just as devastating to our lives. Even more importantly, The Chalmers Center recognizes broken relationships as the core of poverty and how to address these broken relationships by walking alongside people living in poverty. Intriguing? I’ve barely begun to hit the tip of the iceberg here, so I’ll let them do what they do best and explain it all to you! Check out their website - it has so much great content! Their book, When Helping Hurts, is the perfect place to start learning too. It will blow your mind and change your worldview. And if you’re anything like me, it’ll probably change how you go about supporting organizations too!
2) HOPE International
Lead by Peter Greer, President and CEO, HOPE International is what I consider to be a model for other organizations wishing to help people living in poverty. Peter himself has co-authored and published many books on the matter, which by the way, are VERY good! HOPE places a big importance on collaborating with other organizations to maximize their ability to help those they serve. They strive to keep a Kingdom impact at the forefront of all they do, while also focusing on economic impact through facilitating: “discipleship opportunities, training, a safe place to save, and loans”. This 3-minute video provides a great overview of how they empower people to lift themselves out of poverty through spiritual and economic means. I can’t say enough good things about HOPE! Everyone I’ve met have been genuinely helpful, down-to-earth, and invested in “the dreams of families in the world’s underserved communities”. And if you like Charity Navigator ratings, they have phenomenal ratings too, scoring a 100 for accountability and transparency!
3) The 410 Bridge
There are barely words for how much I love this organization. Lucky me, they’re located near where I live in Alpharetta, Georgia so I can easily be more involved! Those who’ve been following along for some time know I’ve written multiple stories about The 410 Bridge already and I plan to continue doing so - We’ve been following alongside La Beyi, Haiti as they engage in community development, leading themselves out of poverty. We’re committed to walking alongside them throughout their development, and many of you have been part of that journey! For those to whom The 410 Bridge is new, my latest story highlights their development model and recent progress in La Beyi, and this webpage is a great resource too! Moreover, The 410 Bridge does a phenomenal job engaging others in their work, truly stewarding people to walk in their own journey with God as they walk with a community. And it’s because of their great stewardship that we have unique opportunities to be more involved! We've lead mission trips to visit La Beyi, raised $93k for community projects: water well, pastor training, business start-up training, and more! Ultimately, the community lead themselves through their own development, so this was a partnership, of coarse!
4) MAP International
Photo provided by MAP International
I’ve known of MAP International for a few years, but I’ve come to know MAP in much greater depth over the last year and a half. In that time, they’ve quickly become one of my favorite organizations! Not only do they have incredible ratings, they have unmatched character as an organization and take immense care in their work. It’s this genuine care for those they serve, the people within MAP, and the partnerships they build that makes them stand out from all the rest. MAP International is extremely effective and efficient in distributing essential medicines and health supplies around the world, and in order to do this well, they partner exclusively with organizations already working on the ground in the countries they serve. I love their model, and I think you will too! Read this story to discover how they operate and who they serve! President and CEO of MAP, Steve Stirling, also released a book highlighting his personal life journey that lead him to MAP called, The Crutch of Success: From Polio to Purpose, Bringing Health & Hope to the World. Do yourself a favor and buy the book! When you do, you’ll be donating to the organization and investing in yourself too…Profits from the book go back to MAP’s mission!
DONATE TO MAP'S ANTIBIOTIC INITIATIVE
Photo by Zach Vessels on Unsplash
5) World Relief
I’ve recently come to admire World Relief and they’re worth a closer look! While I haven’t yet had the opportunity to work with them directly, I was able to sit down with their Haiti country director over dinner a few weeks ago, and needless to say, I was impressed! Although “relief” is in their name, they do more development work than relief (although they do relief as crisis’s arises too). As defined on their website, their mission “is to empower the local church to serve the most vulnerable.” Their work stems from being rooted in the local church, and they take a holistic approach to human development of mind, body, and spirit. They also rely on local leaders in the countries where they work to help foster sustainable change. If you want a great overview of their work, watch this short video! It’s really good, and you’ll find other stories to read there as well. They too have phenomenal ratings on Charity Navigator and earned GuideStar’s Platinum Seal of Transparency in 2019!
So, this Christmas season, while we’re focused on giving gifts to our close family and friends, I hope these organizations have inspired you to remember the reason for the season and perhaps give to others globally too!
Tell me below, which of these organizations speak to you?
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy Giving!
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