Working to Give: Philanthropies & Philanthropic Work

So many people have been positively influenced by pets this year. While we’ve all be forced to socially distance and stay inside, the pets by our side have made all the difference. That’s why it was so nice to see this week, on Giving Tuesday, that Petco Foundation and the BOBS from Skechers gave $860,000 in grant awards to animal welfare organizations throughout the country.

The grants were given out based on stories that people submitted about their pet adoptions. 50 of the best stories were selected, and the money (ranging from $5,000 to $100,000) was given to the organizations that facilitated the adoption of those pets. The stories are all quite heartwarming and many can be seen here: petcofoundation.org/vote.

While reading the stories, people can also vote in the People’s Choice competition where the best five stories with the highest number of votes will get even more grants. Voting is until December 16th.

Here is a heart-warming story. Semper Fi and America’s Fund are helping American war veterans with financial assistance and emotional support. One example is that of Retired Army Sgt. Stefan Leroy who said that representatives from the organization were in his hospital room at Walter Reed Military Medical Center before his family was when he stepped on an IED in Afghanistan in 2012.

Stefan’s case manager helped him to find outlets for his motivation, including getting into cycling and racing. She encouraged him along the way and told him that he was capable. Septer Fi and America’s Fund even provided Leroy with an adaptive hand cycle and a rower that he could use to work on his strength.

He has since completely a few marathons including the Marine Corp marathon, the Boston Marathon and a triathlon in Santa Cruz, California.

There are organizations, like this one, making a huge difference in the individual lives of our veterans. And they certainly deserve the support.

During these difficult times, you would expect charity to be down. Many people are seeing, however, that charity is actually up for some people and in some situations. It can be inspirational to read some of the stories about people who are still giving to others and are helping each other through these difficult times.

NBC has done a great job of consolidating their charity news into one location. A daily or weekly glance here can help people to keep up with the latest in American charity news and to see what others are doing in these critical times.

This article, for instance, is a fascinating look at how helping others can actually help you. Whether it’s financial assistance or helping others in various ways, there are real benefits to getting out of your own situation and looking for ways to help others.

We could all use some good news during these most difficult times. And here is some to offer. While many charities have been hit during these difficult financial times – a report from Lending Tree actually shows that about two-thirds of previous respondents say that they actually haven’t changed their giving strategy from last year. People also reported giving to locations that aren’t typically recorded since they can’t be written off on income taxes. These included giving to local relief funds and giving money to family and friends who have been laid off.

In addition, large scale corporate giving us up – and it’s up quite a lot. Fidelity Charitable saw a 28% increase in giving from the first six months of this year as compared to last year. Good News Network showed that Schwab Charitable had a 46% increase in DAF grants, which was actually the “most generous period of giving recorded in the history of one of America’s largest philanthropic funds.”

These are certainly uplifting statistics and ones worth reading more about.