She Strengthens

Give Back This Holiday Season with a Charity Gift Guide

Are you struggling to find the perfect gift for the socially conscious person in your life? Look no further! This charity gift guide is designed to help you make a positive impact while also showing your loved ones you care.

For the Environmental Advocate

• WildAid: Works to reduce consumption of wildlife products and fights poaching and illegal fishing. (Charity Navigator score: 100/100)
  • Gift idea: Pair a donation with an organic, free-trade, cruelty-free skin cream from Meow Meow Tweet or animal-themed dessert plates from Anthropologie.
• Water.org: Helps people around the world gain access to clean water. (Charity Navigator score: 95.75/100)
  • Gift idea: Make a donation and pair it with an eco-friendly water bottle, like the stainless steel Klean Kanteen Insulated Classic.
• The National Wildlife Federation: Works to protect and restore natural habitats and species across the United States. (Charity Navigator score: 85.58/100)
  • Gift idea: Adopt an animal in their name for $50, or gift a copy of National Parks: America’s Best Idea.

For the Social Activist

• National Urban League: Works to help African Americans and other underserved urban residents gain economic self-reliance and power. (Charity Navigator score: 92.14/100)
  • Gift idea: Pair a donation with a Resist mug or Passion planner.
• Creative Capital: Helps artists across the United States grow through grants, counseling, and career development services. (Charity Navigator score: 90.29/100)
  • Gift idea: Select a specific focus area to support, such as social justice or LGBTQ rights, and pair it with tickets to an upcoming arts festival or music show.
• Women’s Learning Partnership: Champions the education of women across the globe. (Charity Navigator score: 89.7/100)
  • Gift idea: Make a donation and pair it with a Future Is Female tee.

For the Health Crusader

• The Trevor Project: Provides free crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for LGBTQ people under 25. (Charity Navigator score: 93.94/100)
  • Gift idea: Make a donation and pair it with the My Life Story — So Far journal.
• Salk Institute for Biological Studies: Works on the cutting edge of biological and health science to identify cures and solutions for various conditions. (Charity Navigator score: 92.82/100)
  • Gift idea: Gift a general donation or send your cash straight to a specific area of Salk’s efforts, such as cancer research or women and science. Pair it with a funny Research, What Happens Between Coffees mug.
• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness): Provides educational programs, advocacy, and support groups for people with mental illness. (Charity Navigator score: 91.89/100)
  • Gift idea: Make a donation and pair it with a mindfulness card set or stress-relieving adult coloring book.

Honorable Mentions

• ProPublica
• Grand Teton National Park Foundation
• Rainforest Trust
• Gary Sinise Foundation

For Teachers and Education Activists

• Girls Inc.: Provides mentorship, educational programs, and pro-girl environments to equip girls to navigate the world and grow up healthy, educated, and independent. (Charity Navigator score: 98.23/100)
  • Gift idea: Donate in your girl power pro’s name and pair it with a copy of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s We Should All Be Feminists or a boob hat.
• DonorsChoose: Creates a space for teachers to seek donations for their classroom’s needs and projects. (Charity Navigator score: 95.47/100)
  • Gift idea: In addition to a satisfying, direct donation to a classroom in need, gift your education activist with a Bullet Journal.
• Room to Read: Promotes literacy by providing resources and training to communities across the globe. (Charity Navigator score: 92.92/100)
  • Gift idea: Make a donation in your bookworm’s name and nourish their love of reading with a copy of one of this year’s best-selling books.

For Humanitarians

• Direct Relief: Provides doctors in underprivileged and disaster-stricken communities with the supplies and medicines they need to help those in need. (Charity Navigator score: 98.23/100)
  • Gift idea: Select a specific project or cause to direct your donation to, and pair it with a gift local to the community your donation benefits.
• Doctors Without Borders USA: Provides independent, neutral, and impartial medical aid wherever in the world it’s needed most. (Charity Navigator score: 94.74/100)
  • Gift idea: Donate in honor of your humanitarian and pair it with a scratch map for them to track and share their travels.
• Operation USA: Supports health and education programs that help children and families recover and thrive in the wake of disasters. (Charity Navigator score: 87.4/100)
  • Gift idea: In addition to a donation, which includes a customizable e-card, get your homeland supporter a monogrammed leather passport holder.

For Lovers of Small Humans

• Action for Healthy Kids: Works to make schools healthier places for kids to learn and grow. (Charity Navigator score: 95.47/100)
  • Gift idea: A $25 donation can supply a classroom with physical activity and brain break tools; $50 can help a school hold a healthy food taste test; and $100 can feed a classroom of 25 a nutritious breakfast for a month!
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: Matches adult volunteers with kids and adolescents across the country to foster positive, life-changing relationships. (Charity Navigator score: 92.92/100)
  • Gift idea: In addition to gifting a donation to the mentor you couldn’t live without, give them an F. Scott Fitzgerald inspirational quote print or The Self-Care Planner by Meera Lester.
• Save the Children: Supports kids in the United States and around the globe through emergency response efforts, educational programs, health resources, and advocacy. (Charity Navigator score: 85.57/100)
  • Gift idea: In addition to making a standard donation, you can also sponsor a child for $39 a month, or put your money toward anything from a sheep to an emergency shelter kit for a child in need.

For Animal Lovers

• Patriot PAWS Service Dogs: Trains and provides service dogs to disabled American veterans and others with disabilities and PTSD — for free. (Charity Navigator score: 93.26/100)
  • Gift idea: Donate in honor of a dog lover in your life and they’ll receive a written thank you letter in the mail from the organization. Pair it with a leakproof dog bowl water bottle or an Aquapaw dog bathing glove.
• Friends of Animals: Advocates for the rights of animals, providing low-cost spay and neuter programs, promoting veganism, and supporting habitat and wildlife protection efforts across the globe. (Charity Navigator score: 90.62/100)
  • Gift idea: Make a general donation or direct it to a specific Friends of Animals program, like vegan advocacy or anti-hunting and anti-fur initiatives. Pair it with some gift-worthy cruelty-free skin care.
• American Humane: Provides rapid response rescue and care for animals in need across the country. (Charity Navigator score: 90.49/100)
  • Gift idea: Pair your donation with a pair of PupSocks, which you can customize with a photo of a pet.