Okay, I wanted to recommend a few organizations that I think are worth a year end gift/donation. All of these organizations are ones that I'm invested in- both in terms of giving gifts and supporting them, as well as knowing the staff and the people behind these organizations. So as you think about year-end giving, I would recommend any of these organizations as a great place to invest.
1. Red Eye Inc. - my friend Justin Mayo heads up this "under the radar" community of young influencers and creatives in some of the leading global cities (LA, NYC, Sydney, London) that are using their talents to make a difference in a positive way.
2. Compassion- sponsor a child. I sponsor several. I've seen their work up close in Rwanda and Ecuador and Guatemala. Your money is being stewarded well.
3. Young Life- been involved with Young Life since college. No one creates better experiences for teenagers and introduces the Gospel in such a compelling and loving way.
4. Plywood People- great social innovation organization founded by my good friend Jeff Shinabarger. Including gathering social innovators, providing gift cards to those in need, and providing creative solutions to education and social issues. There is very little overhead and you can give a gift or a gift card to help out.
5. Convoy of Hope- focused on solving issues of hunger, and feeding children now all over the world. They've brought their trucks to Catalyst the last several years, and are the official Disaster Relief partner of Catalyst. Their disaster relief and community development is amazing. Seen it up close in Haiti where COH feeds almost 100,000 kids a day!
6. International Justice Mission- Gary Haugen and the team at IJM have been fighting sex trafficking and human slavery for the last 19 years. Rescuing victims as well as bringing justice to areas where no justice exists.
7. HOPE International- run by good friend Peter Greer, HOPE Int provides micro-finance loans all over the world, helping give dignity and lift people out of poverty. A $100 gift goes a long way.
8. charity: water- perhaps my favorite non-profit organization in the world. Scott Harrison and team have revolutionized the concept of providing clean water globally, and are only getting started.
9. One Days Wages- Eugene Cho makes it easy to see the impact of giving up one day of your salary. And he leads by example.
10. First Response Team of America- good friend Tad Agoglia and his team provide help and hope at times when communities need just that- following disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and floods.
11. Atlanta Mission- an amazing organization focused on ending homelessness in the city of Atlanta. One of the best run homeless missions in the country.
12. A21 Campaign- headed up by Nick and Christine Caine, rescuing those trapped in human trafficking and modern day slavery all around the world, their goal is to end injustice in the 21st century.
13. Word Made Flesh- I love what they do in serving the poorest of the poor around the world.
14. San Francisco City Impact- gotten to know Christian Huang and the team at SF City Impact over the past year. Love what they're doing in impacting the city of San Francisco in the Tenderloin district through a rescue mission, church, school, education and city reform.
15. Lighthouse Family Retreat- serves families with children dealing with childhood cancer, enabling families to have a week of rest, relaxation, laughter, re-engaging family relationships, and finding hope in God.
16. CURE International- healing kids in 30 countries around the world through the operation of charitable hospitals where kids receive needed surgeries and hear the story of God's love.
17. Operation Christmas Child- part of Samaritans Purse, an incredible ministry delivering boxes of joy to kids all over the world during Christmas time.
and, don't forget Your Local Church- make sure you are giving regularly to your local church body. That is the place to start!