Giving Tuesday is around the corner! I’ve compiled a list of my favorite organizations helping families that you’ll want to support because they’re doing FABULOUS work!
If you don’t know, Giving Tuesday was created as a day of worldwide giving, after the shopping madness of BlackFriday, SmallBusinessSaturday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday is the day to give back: your time, your money…. to help in any way you can!
I wanted to share a list of the organizations I know are doing great work. I’ve divided this list into nationwide organizations and local/NYC based organizations.
If you have an organization that you LOVE, make sure to leave a comment in the comments!
ORGANIZATIONS HELPING FAMILIES NATIONWIDE
1. Immigrant Families Together
Immigrant Families Together posts bond and provides holistic support to parents and children who have been separated and reunited (with their help) at the border while seeking asylum. They not only post bond, but they support with legal services, help families navigate school, housing, transportation, medical care and so much more.
Check out my interview with Julie Schwietert Collazo, one of the cofounders of IFT here.
IFT has great ideas on how YOU can support them on Giving Tuesday here.
This is an organization I support wholeheartedly, not only because of what I’ve seen in the press, but also because Julie and Francisco, their cofounders, are members of my community and I’ve gotten to know them personally. IFT is the real deal!
This summer I got a chance to help IFT raise money with Grammy winning duo 123 Andres!
2. MomsRising/MamasConPoder
I’ve been a MomsRising/MamasConPoder fan since I discovered the organization in 2012 after my son was born and my mind was being blown by all the things parents DON’T have access to in the USA.
MomsRising (and its Spanish language counterpart MamásConPoder) works to improve the conditions of families, women and children all over the USA, working on issues like maternal justice, criminal justice, GOTV efforts, immigration, paid and sick leave, and MORE!
Full disclosure, over the years I have had the opportunity to volunteer and work with MR. Most recently, to discuss the ACA in Washington DC with Senator Warner.
You can donate to MomsRising here and even sign up to be a monthly Champion. *Please note: MR is a 501c4 org so donations are NOT tax deductible.
Check out my interview with Monifa Bandele on the Power of Black Moms here.
3. National Alliance of Domestic Workers
Domestic workers are the backbone of our homes – they keep our homes clean, our kids fed and taken care of… they are the reason why many of us can work outside the home. Domestic workers need all our support! It isn’t normal that those who take care of our homes and families don’t have a living wage or safe working conditions.
The NADW is working to make the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights a reality (it recently happened in Philadelphia!) all over the United States and they also offer a membership for domestic workers that offers benefits such as life insurance. (To find out more about their membership benefits click here.)
4. Voto Latino
Voto Latino was one of the first organizations that worked to mobilize Latinx voters across the USA. It was founded by Maria Teresa Kumar and Rosario Dawson in 2004.
View this post on Instagram
Just because #LatinxHeritageMonth is over doesn’t mean we stop celebrating who we are!
5. Family Values @ Work
Family Values at Work is a coalition of state organizations that fight for family friendly policies in the workplace like paid leave and sick paid time off.
You can support and donate to FV@W here.
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It’s #BlackWomenEqualPayDay! It’s time to make equal pay for equal work a reality.
6. Girl Scouts
As the daughter of a mom, and a woman who would’ve loved to be part of the Girl Scouts when I was younger, I love their mission, and the leadership skills they teach young girls (not to mention, who doesn’t love Girl Scout cookies?)
“Girl Scouts unleashes the G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ in every girl, preparing her for a lifetime of leadership.” A organization that works to unleash all this in girls gets my $$$!
They help girls in the following ways:
- Develop a strong sense of self.
- Seek challenges and learn from setbacks.
- Display positive values.
- Form and maintain healthy relationships.
- Identify and solve problems in the community.
If you’re interested in helping the Girls Scouts and donating, click here.
View this post on InstagramAnd they’re Girl Scouts. #FACTS #WomensEntrepreneurshipDay 💫A post shared by Girl Scouts (@girlscouts) on
7. Everytown
Everytown works to end gun violence in the United States. It works with moms (Moms Demand Action), Mayors (Mayors against Illegal Guns), students (Students Demand Action) and survivors. It helps moms, gun safety advocates, students and others mobilize.
You can join the Gun Sense Action Network here.
To support Everytown click here.
7. PAID LEAVE US
Paid Leave US works to make paid leave a reality as federal policy. Katie Bethell, its founder, wants you to know that this is not a pie in the sky: this is the moment when we have the momentum to make it happen! You can listen to more of my conversation with Katie on Parenting and Politics here.
Paid Leave US works with companies to help bring paid leave to their employees and also pushes for legislation on the federal level to make paid leave a reality for all. They run campaigns and do research and analysis about what is working in the field, what needs to be expanded and what makes the best paid leave policy. (spoiler alert: 12 weeks isn’t the best).
Donate to Paid Leave US and help make paid leave a reality for all in the USA! Donate here.
9. ZERO TO THREE
ZERO TO THREE is an organization that works to ensure all babies thrive and have a strong start in life. They do that through research and advocacy. They put the issues that matter to babies front and center, advocating to elected officials for issues that will help babies reach their full potential.
Their mission is to ensure that all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life. At ZERO TO THREE, we envision a society that has the knowledge and will to support all infants and toddlers in reaching their full potential.
ZERO TO THREE’s work covers the following topics: early development, early learning, parenting and policy and advocacy.
I got a chance to be part of Strolling Thunder this year in DC. Strolling Thunder is an event put together by ZTT where one family from each state (we represented NY) go to meet their MOCs and advocate for the issues they care about. Sofia, my mom and I went to DC and we talked about affordable childcare. (I documented Strolling Thunder in Spanish here).
You can get involved and donate to ZERO TO THREE’s work here.
You can listen to my conversation with ZERO TO THREE’s Patricia Cole on affordable childcare here.
10. Barbershop Books
Barbershop Books brings books to barbershops to foster the love of reading for young boys of color. It is a project of a nonprofit called the Reading Holiday Project, founded by Alvin Irby (check out his TED TALK here) .
You can sponsor a reading space in a barbershop, and make a donation here.
11. Sesame Street Workshop
Sesame Street has been around for 50 years, teaching generations of kids their ABCs, their 123s, the shapes and colors. Their characters teach kids to believe in themselves, to be kind to each other, to problem solve and to talk about their emotions. Their work on social-emotional learning is unparalleled.
Sesame Street has introduced characters with autism, children that experience homelessness, and always welcome others from foreign lands. They normalized Latinx characters with Maria, Luis, Nina and Nando, teaching kids words in Spanish and teaching them how to be open-minded and welcoming of those who may be different.
Sesame Street is a nonprofit organization and relies on donations to keep bringing our children and children all over the world their great programming. You can support Sesame Street Workshop here.
12. SisterSong: the Women of Color Collective
Sister Song is based in the South. Its purpose is to help improve policies and systems that impact reproductive rights of women of color.
They do this through trainings, policy and advocacy and arts and cultural programming. They also run a yearly summit called “Let’s Talk About Sex Summit” (Stacey Abrams was this year’s keynote speaker!)
If you want to bring reproductive justice to your nonprofit or your community, SisterSong has a training for that! Check it out here.
You can donate to SisterSong here and don’t forget to check out my powerful interview with SisterSong Executive Director Monica Simpson here.
Support SisterSong’s transformative work here.
13. National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health
Calling all poderosas! The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, NLIRH “builds Latina power to guarantee the fundamental human right to reproductive health, dignity and justice. We elevate Latina leaders, mobilize our families and communities, transform the cultural narrative and catalyze policy change.”
I believe all people have the right to decide whether or not they will start a family, and reproductive rights and just is at the center of that. I think it is critical for women to have access to reproductive healthcare. That’s why I support many organizations in the #reprojustice space.
NLIRH’s areas of focus are:
- Abortion Access and Affordability
- Sexual and Reproductive Health Equity
- Immigrant Women’s Health and Rights
Check out my interview with Executive Director Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas here.
Make a donation to support NLIRH here.
ORGANIZATIONS HELPING FAMILIES IN NYC
13. Hour Children, Queens, NY
Sr. Tesa Fitzgerald founded Hour Children to help formerly incarcerated women reintegrate into their communities in Queens NY. The organizations supports women and their children in a myriad of ways:they provide support for women while they are incarcerated (at Bedford Hills) and when they are released, helping them with housing, childcare, food assistance (they run a community based food pantry), and job assistance. They also run a teen program for children who have parents who are incarcerated or formerly incarcerated, and run transportation to facilitate visitations. Hour Children also run thrift shops in LIC, and all the proceeds go to support their programming.
If you want to support an organization who is REALLY making a difference on a local level, Hour Children is it. Their results are impressive: They report that participants of Hour Children have “a recidivism rate of 3.5%, [which is] significantly lower than the 39.9% published by NYS.”
You can support and donate to Hour Children here.
To find our more about their Food pantry click here.
14. City Harvest, NY
DYK? Nearly 1.2 million New Yorkers face hunger every year, including ONE IN FIVE CHILDREN IN NYC! Hunger and food insecurity is a real problem in NYC, and many organizations are tackling this issue every day. City Harvest works to rescue and distribute food to needy New Yorkers all year.
City Harvest rescues and distributes food (they even have a Kosher food program!) and deliver over 160,000 pounds of food EACH DAY.
Become a volunteer with City Harvest or donate here.
15. Citizens’ Committee for Children
Citizen’s Committee for Children was created by Eleanor Roosevelt to help improve the lives of children in NYC. They work to gather data on children in NYC, and analyze government budgets, policies, programs and services to improve the lives of children.
Issues they work on:
- Quality health and mental health services
- Safe and stable housing
- Quality early childhood education, education, and after-school programs
- A safe home, and to be positively engaged in their school and community
- Financial stability
- Healthy, affordable food
Learn more about CC and donate to here.
READ RELATED: MOMS RUNNING FOR OFFICE? THESE ORGANIZATIONS CAN HELP
16. Touching Land, Brooklyn, NY
Touching Land is a newly created organization that uses art to help immigrant women find community, connection and heal from their traumatic experiences as immigrants in this country.
Its founder is Carolina Rubio MacWright, an artist, immigration attorney and activist. She has created workshops where she uses art to teach immigrants about their rights and helps them build community. Most recently, she has also brought immigrant women together with non-immigrant women so there could be exchange and both groups could learn about each other. She has also created workshops that use cooking to teach delivery boys about their rights.
You can donate to help Touching Land run workshops that help community empowerment, and everyday necessities such as Metrocards. Make your donation to support Touching Land here.
17. Make the Road NY
For over 20 years, Make the Road New York has fought to ensure respect and dignity for immigrant, poor, and working class New Yorkers. Make the Road is doing great work for the communities in Jackson Heights and Bushwick. They work expanding civil rights, promoting health, improving housing, winning workplace justice, improving public education and empowering youth.
To support Make the Road’s work, you can donate here.
18. POTS (Part of the Solution) NY
POTS, Part of the Solution’s mission “is to be a loving community in the Bronx that nourishes the basic needs and hungers of all who come to its door.” POTS helps the neediest individuals in the Bronx by providing services like a Barbershop, Clothing Room, Shower Facilities, Legal Clinic, Medical & Dental Clinic, Holiday Meals and Gifts and a Community Dining Room. They also have a Food Pantry and Mail Services. When POTs cannot help an individual, they refer them to organizations that can.
You can make a donation to POTS today and help many individuals in need!
19. Serious Fun Afterschool Program, Queens, NY
S
erious Fun provides affordable after school enrichment classes and child care in various schools in Western Queens and one in Manhattan. It’s been a godsend to me, as my son has attended since he was in Kindergarten. It also offers summer camp for children. They work hard to raise funds so they can keep prices low and be able to offer scholarships to needy students who may not be able to pay their fees but whose parents need child care.
To donate to Serious Fun donate here.
20. Your local school/PTA
What kind of a PTA mom would I be if I didn’t remind you that your local schools and PTAs need all your support? PTAS are completely volunteer run, and it requires A LOT of work. If you can send a donation to your PTA they’ll be super thankful, take it from a PTA co-president 😉.
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Organizations Helping Families That You’ll Want to Support!
Featured Photo credit: Image by HeatherPaque from Pixabay
