Happy Giving Saturday!
Some charities to consider.
Always willing to be servicey, here are some vetted charities working in Wonkette-y spaces that you may want to consider!
And a note: If you take the standard IRS deduction, like most people, you may actually want to wait until after January 1, as the law is changing, thanks to that Big Boners for Billionaires Bill. And if you itemize, you will want to cram in all your donations before December 31, like usual. Then starting in 2026, only the amount of total charitable contributions that exceed 0.5 percent of your adjusted gross income will be deductible. As in, if you make $100k, only amounts above $500 will be deductible.
And yes, it sucks to feel like you have to give your money to problems that the federal government ought to be trying to solve, and doesn’t intend to work on any time soon. But that also means the need is great.
On with the list:
Feeding the hungry:
Find your local food bank at Feeding America, or donate to the national organization.
Internationally, USAID is all gone, but Oxfam and UNICEF (focused on children) are still working on global health.
World Central Kitchen provides meals around the globe during humanitarian and environmental disasters.
Pressured into giving a gift to someone you hate? Adopt the appropriate pig, chicken, water buffalo or heifer in their name from Heifer International.
Healing the sick:
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières provides medical treatment in 70 countries around the world during war, disease outbreaks, and disasters.
Undue Medical Debt buys medical debt and pays it off.
Planned Parenthood, because of course.
Helping migrants:
If you donated to RAICES it would really piss off Greg Abbott and Ted Cruz.
The environment:
Climate Justice Alliance supports local grassroots environmental organizations. And the Environmental Defense Fund has been at it for almost 60 years. Thank them for unleaded gas!
Fighting racism
Donating to The Southern Poverty Law Center would also piss off all the correct people.
LGBTQ+ rights:
The Trevor Project: suicide prevention and crisis intervention for LGBTQ+ youth.
Lambda Legal: suing sunsabitches who need it since 1973.
Fighting surveillance:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation defends internet privacy.
Press Freedom:
Reporters Committee For Freedom of the Press defends the rights of journalists, and they sure do extra-need it these days.
And don’t forget Wikipedia!
Democracy:
Democracy Forward is suing the Trump administration over all kinds of illegal shenanigans, from Epstein Files coverup to targeting immigrants at houses of worship.
Well, I just donated to all of these, now I am broke. Also remember to give to Wonkette too, so they can keep paying me!
Also, check if your employer has a matching program. They might, and just be quiet about it. Or perhaps your inquiry will shame them into making one.
This list is tiny, so please add your own in comments!
And do check out sites like Charity Navigator and Give dot org to check a charity’s fundamentals before you give.
Happy gifting!
I made a tiny snowman on my balcony.
https://substack.com/@ziggywiggy/note/c-182499722?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=2knfuc
Don't mind me, I'm just going to be over here in the corner feeling proud of myself for having all the Christmas food ordering done already.
Dessert this year is going to be a simple sherry trifle, sometimes you just can't beat the classics.
The main meal is going to be roast duck - because no-one in the house likes turkey, and a goose is just too big for three people.