Ahead of #GivingTuesday, CHIP releases annual giving guide

A global movement that started as a trending topic on Twitter several years ago has returned. #GivingTuesday falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, this year on Nov. 29. It is a day when individuals are encouraged via social media to make online charitable donations to organizations.

Kat Rosqueta, founding executive director of Penn’s Center for High Impact Philanthropy (CHIP) and a nationally recognized expert on high impact charitable giving, explains, “There’s nothing like a great deadline that really focuses people’s attention. They’re kind of borrowing a page from some commercial activities—Black Friday and Cyber Monday.” That focus contributes to #GivingTuesday’s effectiveness in raising awareness, encouraging participation, and collecting donations.

To help donors increase the impact their charitable giving makes in the lives of others on #GivingTuesday and throughout the year, CHIP has released its annual high impact giving manual. The “2016 High Impact Giving Guide”, a 32-page guidebook, is available to download for free. It is chock-full of “handpicked opportunities” for donors to give to charitable causes.

There are 11 distinct opportunities outlined in the publication that show donors how to help address a range of risks that human beings face from infancy to adulthood. The guide lists ways to give that are designed for every budget.

Rosqueta says many people are unaware how far their giving dollars can go.

For a $10 donation, 10 children can be vaccinated from measles and rubella in impoverished countries; $100 can give a U.S. teacher one-on-one instructional coaching to improve children’s literacy; $5,000 can help preschools set up a high-quality early-childcare curriculum. And for those who can afford to give more, a $100,000 gift, perhaps in the name of a loved one, can pay for an attorney to help 200 mentally ill people facing eviction or other life-altering situations.

The guide also has updated recommendations on how to help relief efforts for both natural disasters like this year’s Haitian earthquake and human-made disasters such as the Syrian refugee crisis.

“The needs can be heartbreaking,” Rosqueta says, “but the inherent chaos can make it hard for donors to know how best to help.”

The “2016 High Impact Giving Guide” is an important resource to extend the reach of philanthropy long after the headlines have faded, she adds.

An estimated 34 percent of giving happens in the last three months of the year. Even though many people choose to give during this time, the evidence-based approaches and tips that CHIP provides are applicable for donors year-round.

CHIP Giving