Giving Back This Holiday Season: Nonprofits We Love at AHG Interiors

This holiday season, in the spirit of giving back, we wanted to highlight our favorite charities to celebrate the great work they’re doing and let you know how you can get involved.

When it comes to giving to charity, it can be hard to decide who to support since there are so many worthy causes out there. You also want to make sure your donation will go to good use. To make it a bit easier, we’ve rounded up non-profits and charities we love to support at AHG and include recommendations for ways you can give back.

GiveWell

If you don’t have a particular cause in mind, but want to make sure your donation counts, is not wasted and is positively affecting the most lives possible - donate to GiveWell. 

While non-profits aim to do good, not every organization is able to use their donations cost-effectively - meaning to do the most good possible with the donations they receive. Through thorough analysis and research, GiveWell ranks a few top global charities that improve or save the most lives, per dollar.

To get involved you can support one of their 9 top charities, where they provide an overview of each charity, the cost-effectiveness of the program, and the evidence of impact. 100% of your donation will go to the charity you select - GiveWell doesn’t take any fees.

Or if you can’t choose among the nine, you can donate to their maximum impact fund - where your full donation will be given to a charity where GiveWell determines it will have the greatest impact. GiveWell makes grants from this fund quarterly, once your donation is granted to a charity you’ll receive an email notification with information about what it’s supporting.

GiveDirectly

If you want to send cash straight to the people who need it, then GiveDirectly can help. They give money to those living in extreme poverty - no strings attached. 

It is a common stereotype that cash donations given directly to the needy get wasted or misused - research has shown that receivers use that money in creative ways to better their lives, time and time again (GiveDirectly).

Most non-profit organizations decide how your donation gets spent and the people they’re helping don’t get a say necessarily. Rather than letting an organization decide what people living in poverty need, let each individual decide for themselves - it’s as simple as that.

Visit the GiveDirectly website to donate.

Animal Haven

Animal Haven is an animal shelter in New York City that finds homes for abandoned dogs and cats throughout the Tristate area. 

They also provide community engagement programs - which focus on helping prevent pet owners from losing their pets due to sudden crises like domestic violence, housing emergencies, or illness. 

Not only do they help pets find new homes, but in the process, they provide comprehensive rehabilitation and training programs. 

There are plenty of ways you can get involved and help these animals. If you’d like to adopt a pet and give a cat or dog in need a happy home, visit their website to learn more about the adoption process. Otherwise, you can support Animal Haven by making a donation, or volunteering. 

Pure Earth

Pure Earth is a nonprofit based in New York City with a mission to identify and clean up the poorest areas where high concentrations of toxins have harmful health effects on individuals and communities. 

Though toxic waste affects the health of over 200 million people worldwide, pollution is still one of the most under supported problems in the world. 

To fulfill their mission, Pure Earth plans clean-up strategies, empowers locals, and gains support from national and international partnerships. 

Visit their website to make a donation or learn about more ways you can help the cause.

Family Promise

Family Promise, based in New Jersey, helps low-income families or families experiencing homelessness rebuild their lives and gain sustainable independence. 

Family Promise maximizes its impact by supporting affiliate programs throughout the country. They provide assistance and resources to a network of over 200 affiliates, supporting 200,000 volunteers, and impacting around 125,000 homeless family members each year. 

There are a number of ways you can help out, visit their website to learn more or make a donation.

Charity Navigator

If your goal is to support your local community or a specific cause BUT you still want to have a strong impact Charity Navigator can help! 

Like GiveWell, Charity Navigator uses data to score charities on their effectiveness. Charity Navigator scores a charity's financial health, by assessing its efficiency towards the particular cause, as well as the organization's accountability and transparency.

You can use Charity Navigator to search for charities based on a specific location, keyword, or category.

Charity Navigator uses a numbered rating system that’s translated into stars, the highest score an organization can receive is 100 and 4-stars, so you can give with confidence, knowing that your donations are being well spent. 

All the organizations we’ve included above receive a 3 or 4-star rating on Charity Navigator.