Donations
How to make your wallet work for justice. You’ll learn why donations matter and review 5 things to consider before contributing to an organization.
How to think about donations
A donation is a financial gift to an organization to support a cause you stand behind. It can also mean contributing your time to support the movement. Depending on the moment, the needs of an organization can vary from financial contributions to making protest signs and letter writing for campaigns, to joining a local leadership team. They are an effective tool to support a movement, especially when you are unable to mobilize in other ways.
Every cause needs financial support to advance operations. If you are donating, ensure you stay engaged with the issue. A donation without genuine engagement isn’t advocacy. A donation also doesn’t mean you have the right to control or influence the agenda of an organization. We recommend ensuring you are educated and aligned with the priorities of an organization and leadership team before you contribute. We’ve listed some vetting criteria below.
HOW TO GET STARTED
Things to consider when reviewing an organization you'd like to donate to:
- Mission statement and purpose
- Track record on the issue (wins, milestones, etc.)
- Organizational priorities and current or upcoming campaigns
- Credibility of their leadership team (look at their bios and affiliations)
- Transparency around how funds will be spent via newsletters, social media updates, etc.
What to keep in mind
As you conduct your vetting process keep in mind a donation platform like Paypal doesn't immediately disqualify an organization from consideration. According to Houston-based organizer Brandon Mack, structural bias in the non-profit sector can make it significantly more challenging for Black justice organizations to receive a 501(c)(3) designation. This can impact the sophistication of the donation platforms they have access to. This is why Paypal links are quite common for smaller local organizations.
A quick review of an organization’s website and a Google search can help your vetting process. Local news articles that reference the organization are also a good resource in your research. We also recommend signing up for their newsletter or impact reports so you stay connected to their progress and milestones.
We’ve made this easier—check out our city pages for donation links to organizations in 15 cities with some of the highest police brutality killings and rates in the U.S.
What’s the time commitment?
Donations can be a light time investment depending on the amount of the contribution and your familiarity with the organization. Set aside 10-30 mins for research depending on how much information the organization shares upfront.
A final consideration
If you have financial privilege can you build donations into your monthly budget to invest back into Black organizations and activists you believe in?
