7 tools and strategies to find charities

Optimize your charity search with these tactics and tools.

If you look, there are lists of charities out there that might rank organizations based on effectiveness or impact. If you want to find charities that meet your own unique goals, you may need to use some more specialized tools or ask more specific questions.  

1. Talk to loved ones about what they care about.

We put this as step number 1 because of all the residual benefits. When you have these conversations with people in your life you can forge stronger connections. 

Your friends, colleagues, or neighbours may be quietly and humbly giving to charities close to their hearts. You could get to know what the people in your circle value most, while gaining inspiration for your own giving. When we share in the joy of giving, it can only multiply!

2. Start a Giving Group to build generosity with friends.

For the same reasons as above, your giving doesn’t have to be a clandestine operation. You can make a bigger impact on a cause you care about by pooling donations with others through your own Giving Group. Don’t have a charity in mind yet? That’s okay—encourage your friends, family, and loved ones to build a habit of generosity. You can get input from members to crowdsource a decision on where to give. 

Through a Giving Group on Charitable Impact, you can add money on a regular basis, gain accountability through others, and choose a charity or charities to support when there is a need or an inspiration. Customize the page to make it yours, post comments, and share updates for members to stay engaged. 

3. Look into community associations and groups.

It is possible to engineer your network towards giving. One approach is to link networking and community building to generosity.

There are start-up groups that host events and meet-ups to give as a collective—like the 100 Who Care Alliance. With chapters across Canada, members meet and contribute $100, which is then gifted to a charity voted on by the group. In Vancouver, we also have a chapter Give a Damn that anyone can get involved with to make giving a part of their social connection.

You can strengthen bonds with existing networks by engaging in generosity. Got a book/fishing/mentoring club that meets monthly? Ask each person to contribute a small amount for charity. Level up your giving game together. 

To streamline the process and enable donations online, you can use a Giving Group with Charitable Impact—see above. When your club meets up, members can take a few moments to chat charity and share visions of their brighter future. Choose a cause to give to each month, at the end of the year, or whenever you feel ready—then, feel good together!

4. Follow changemakers and community leaders.

There are so many individuals working within the charitable sector to drive change. Some may be part of long-established organizations and others may have innovated organizations to meet emerging needs. Twitter and LinkedIn are good venues for joining in on conversations and following trending topics.  

You can connect personally with thoughtful comments on social media posts. Consider saying hi, then adding your own insights or perspectives to a topic based on knowledge and experience. 

Not sure where to start? Get to know our Impact Ambassadors, engaged and passionate advocates for causes affecting their communities. Find out more about the charities they care about on our ChooseYourImpact Campaign page. 

Beyond the online realm, you can always call charities directly and ask them about their focus and their needs. If you have time to spare, volunteering with a charity can give you first-hand knowledge into the work they do.  

5. Explore charities on Charitable Impact.

With Charitable Impact, you can search for any registered charity in Canada and learn more about their purpose and mission. You can also search for Giving Groups and Campaigns, which are groups of people giving together. 

You can cast your net broadly and then explore individual charities and Giving Groups discovered for you, or filter results by location or category type. Find even small charities in your neighbourhood doing the work you care most about. 

6. Make your research more effective.

There are ways to find out more about charities and their performance. For example, on Charitable Impact, you can see information about a charity’s structure, expenses, activities, receipts issued, and revenues—based on information registered charities are required to provide to the Canada Revenue Agency.

You can also find lists of charities produced by media outlets (like Maclean’s annual ranking), follow rankings by charity watchdogs, and jump into any number of online forums (like on Reddit). Ask yourself, do these charities align with my own personal mission or values?

It’s important to keep in mind that a charity list or ranking is not always the final word. In the end, there are more personal benefits to finding charities that suit you best. 

7. Get personalized support. 

With Charitable Impact, you can reach out to us anytime for assistance in your charity search. We are here to answer your questions about giving. Our Philanthropic Advisory services can provide a link between you and charities to help you better understand their needs and give with intention. 

At Charitable Impact, we’re here to help you achieve your giving, your way, with our support. Reach out with questions about your giving by email ([email protected]), phone (1-877-531-0580), or chat (www.charitableimpact.com). Our Philanthropic Advisory services provide clients with custom solutions to achieving their charitable ambitions.