The holidays are the time of year where not only do we think about giving to the people we love, but we also consider giving to charities/causes we care about. So we thought we would share a few ways you can donate this holiday season.

Look locally. If you want your giving to make a difference in your community, then do a little research on what charities are doing in your neighborhood. This is a great opportunity to learn about the needs that exist in your community and how you can help meet some of them. There may be an event you can volunteer at, or bring donations to. Also looking at what types of charities operate in your community lets you know what issues or causes are in need of extra support. Pick one that resonates with you and donate what they need. (This can usually be found on the "Donate" page of a charities website, or just by giving the organization a call.)
Give things. Thanks to online marketplaces, it's really tempting to try and sell our gently used items online. Why not consider giving some of these things away for the holidays? Local charities often need a lot of non-monetary items this time of year. Local schools, businesses, and charities often run toy drives or winter clothing drives. As long as the items you have to give are gently used, they can be a huge blessing to others for the holidays.
Give knowledgeably. Some national or international charities literally make billions of dollars a year. Please look up transparency data for any large charity you're considering giving to. Charity watchdog organizations recommend that no more than 35 percent of donations should go into a charity's fundraising costs. So if only 10% of what you donate actually gets to the people you want to help or the research you want to see done, that charity may not be worth giving to this year.

Have a look at the links below for some top-rated charity lists for 2018. Just keep in mind the criteria that each website uses to rate charities may be different.

Happy Giving!Top American Charities:https://www.charitywatch.org/top-rated-charitieshttps://www.forbes.com/top-charities/list/#tab:rankTop Canadian Charities: https://www.moneysense.ca/save/financial-planning/2018-charity-100-full-list/https://www.macleans.ca/society/life/canadas-top-rated-charities-2019/

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