Call to Action
Celebrate truly meaningful election victories
Align your volunteering and giving with your values
Be generous
Reflections on 2022 in Politics
It’s terrific to approach a new year with some major victories in the 2022 election season. By voting, committing your dollars and your time you made a difference and helped protect our democracy. Thank you for your contributions. It’s time to celebrate the work we have done and enjoy the end of the year. Rest up as there is still more ahead. We look forward to your involvement in 2023 in making the U.S. fulfill its promise to one and all. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year.
How We Give our Time and Money
As you know, we at MWR believe electoral politics really matter and we are focused on helping you understand and act powerfully as individual citizens in the political arena. That’s an essential element of changing and improving the system we live in. But it’s also important to change individual lives and to support organized advocates who press our goals forward with research, lobbying and grassroots organizing. So, for this final issue of 2022 we decided to share how the Editorial Board of MWR gives our time and money when it’s not directed to politicians.
Some of us give monthly, some of us give at the end of the year. Sometimes we write checks, in other cases we have contributions taken out of our checking accounts or charged to our credit cards.
Regarding volunteering, we’re equally diverse: helping out at one-time events, annual events, or in weekly or monthly shifts. Several of us serve on local boards of non-profits. There’s no one right way. What is important to us is to support the wellbeing of our community, state, country and even the world. We thought we’d give you examples of the choices the four of us have been making to help spark your thinking and commitment.
Most of the specific organizations we list below are secular although many are deeply informed by faith communities and traditions. Donations to religious organizations or those sponsored by religious communities comprise a large part of philanthropy in the United States and these contributions make a huge difference in the lives of individuals, families, and children. But there are so many opportunities in this arena that we decided not to list particular ones. We trust you will find what your heart is drawn to.
How to Give:
Step one: What’s important to you? As you will see below, we have many different passions. You probably do too. Spread out your donations or give bigger ones less frequently? That’s up to you.
Step Two: What can you do as a volunteer? What’s appropriate to support financially?
Step Three: How much time and money can you give? 5% of your time or income? 10%? You decide but be as generous as you can.
Volunteering:
Sit on a non-profit’s Board of Directors and consider being an officer. They need us!
Sign up for shifts of service in a community agency.
Mentor or tutor someone in the early stages of a career in your area of expertise.
Help out in local schools, human service agencies or civic groups. They need us, too
Work through your faith community to be of service to those in need where you live or beyond.
Giving Money
Locally: Research the groups in your community and find the folks who align with your values. Here are our big categories.
Food security
Services for the unhoused
Local journalism
Domestic Violence services
Health Clinics for low-income residents
Protecting open spaces/supporting local agriculture
Community Arts Groups/Local Museums
Services for At Risk Youth
AIDS Service Organizations
State Level:
Abortion access funds in your state
Voter turnout efforts for young voters and voters of color
Immigrant rights and supports
Public radio and television and non-profit independent journalism
Legal Aid Societies
National:
Justice Reform:
Anti- hate groups
Environmental Protection and Climate Change Advocacy
Nature Conservancy, National Resources Defense Council, Environmental Defense Fund, Defenders of Wildlife, Center for Biological Diversity, WildEarth Guardians, Sierra Club, PIRG and groups in states that mean a lot to you e.g. Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
Abortion Rights and Access:
Voter Rights and Registration
Fair Fight (GA), Vote Forward, Blue Wave, Mijente , Swing Left
Basic Income Pilot Projects
Media
International:
GiveWell – Research based interventions that save lives in developing countries. The centerpiece of Effective Philanthropy.
RazomForUkraine – A Ukraine based and Ukrainian run humanitarian agency focusing on medical kits and backpacks, food for home bound or shelter bound citizens, evacuation of critically ill patients and their families and helping civilians survive the winter.
Final Thoughts
That should give you a good sense of what is available to you to support your community and foster change. The world is huge, and the need is correspondingly large. There are literally tens of thousands of organizations doing important work. If you don’t already volunteer or give, now is a good time to begin. Pick one or two organizations to start. Remember that it isn’t your gift or your volunteer effort alone that makes a difference, it’s when we join together with others that we make change happen.