Gifts and Donations

[bjarvis]

December is a month of gift-giving and power shopping for the holiday season but it's also the end of the tax year in Canada and the US for making donations to our favourite organizations and charities.

Here's where I'm primarily directing my charitable giving these days... please consider a donation of your own to any of these causes or your personal favourites. Please also consider requesting matching gifts from your employer if available.

• DC Diamond Circulate DCDC is hosting the 26th annual IAGSDC square dance convention in Washington DC in April of 2009. I'm a corporate officer & event registrar so I'm fairly deeply involved in this event; it's no surprise then that I'm sending the bulk of my gift-giving here. Donations can be made via PayPal to registrar@dcdiamondcirculate.org.
  
  
• All Join Hands AJH is the premier fundraising organization for promoting square/round/contra/folk dancing dancing in the LGBT community. There is a 1:1 matching challenge grant grant (up to $10k) open until the end of this month. Donate here.
  
  
• Online Policy Group/Queernet.org My connection with OPG/Queernet has been via their hosting of the gay & lesbian chorus mailing list for the last 11 years of our 16 year history. In recognition of qnetter's contributions to maintaining Queernet, I've sent a donation via PayPal using the link below. I'm also planning to set up a monthly donation plan in January so I can continue supporting Queernet throughout 2008. Donate here.
  
  
• National Public Radio NPR is damn near the last real news organization left in the United States. I'd be lost without my local NPR stations during my work commute or in podcasts I download religiously. Donate here.

I have a smattering of other organizations to which I contribute but these are largely done in honour of particular members/event participants (eg. misc AIDS rides, MS rides, hospital burn ward rides, etc.). I don't have the bandwidth to get involved directly, but I'm more than happy to support friends & family who do.

What organizations are you supporting with your volunteer time & energy and/or gift-giving dollars?

Comments

[qnetter]

We thank you so much!

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

No prob! My employer will be contacting OPG to confirm my donation; upon confirmation, they'll match my donation 1:1.

[billeyler.livejournal.com]

NM Gay Men's Chorus
GLSEN
GLAAD
PFLAG
GMHC
NM AIDS Services
Lambda Legal
AIDS Emergency Fund
God's Love We Deliver
Albuquerque Rescue Mission
KNME-TV (Public)
All Join Hands
and some others that aren't coming to mind at this moment.

[billeyler.livejournal.com]

Oh, and our University is pushing HEAVILY for us to make charitable donations through the United Way. Apparently UW admin costs are corporate subsidized here, but in spite of this, the peer pressure and the university heavy-handed brow-beating, I still prefer to write my checks directly to the agency receiving.

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

I've avoided the United Way because of their high overhead, prefering to send monies directly to the appropriate participating organization. I hadn't heard of donor agents subsidizing the overhead before but it's been a while.

putting money where mouth is

[trawnapanda.livejournal.com]

Hmm - lessee. Support from the panda:
annually:
Lung Association
Asthma Society
Easter Seals
Amnesty International
Lesbian Gay Community Appeal (sorta Gay-united-way in trawna)
Huron College (where I got my master's degree)
University of Toronto (bachelors, and oh yes, employer for 27+ years)
Anglican Church of Canada

monthly
(federal) NDP
World Wildlife Fund (I'm a sucker for pandas)
Interval House (shelter for battered women + any associated children)
Teresa Group (aid for families with children & one or more members infected with HIV)
Casey House (AIDS hospice)
Canadian Lesbian Gay Archives
Egale (work the political scene for equality for all rainbow people)
Church of the Redeemer (where I am every sunday)
Integrity (LGBT justice ministry in the Anglican church)

The last two get about half of the total donations, because that's where i'm most involved - I'm the chair of the toronto chapter of Integrity, and it takes a lot of my volunteer time and energy.

[vasilatos]

Through heifer.org, from my family were sent: 2 llamas, 2 sheep, 1 cow, 2 goats, and 1 water buffalo.

[bjarvis.livejournal.com]

I like the way the web site allows one to donate a share of a critter rather than the entire critter.

"I'd like to donate the hind quarter of llama, please." :-)

[greyguy-sf.livejournal.com]

You are such a mensch.... keep up your good (nearly) constantly positive attitude.