How to Choose Your Cause
There are many charitable organizations, some of which support the same causes, which makes it difficult for some to decide which cause to support. If you have the time and money, you may want to choose more than one cause, but if you're limited and still want to do some good, choosing a cause can seem like a daunting task. However, the choice becomes much easier after some research and participation.
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Instructions
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Make a list of causes that deal with diseases, problems or other things that have directly affected you personally. For example, if you have had lung cancer from smoking, you may want to donate to a charity cancer or to a charity that helps keep children from smoking. Make the list as long as possible with as many causes or charities as you can find.
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Make a list of issues that have affected family members or friends. Even if they haven't affected you personally, you may have more passion for a problem affecting others than yourself. Choose which issues you would like to support the most and add them to your list.
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Take this list and research each cause you've written down in a library or on the Internet. Find which organizations support the causes. Read about where the money goes to within each organization, if you're choosing to donate money. Read about how to volunteer, if you'd like to volunteer your time for an organization benefiting a cause. Read reviews from others who have supported certain charity organizations to find out which are fraudulent and which are trustworthy. Narrow your list down to less than five organizations and/or causes you'd like to support.
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Attend a meeting or event hosted by the organizations on your list if you can. Participate, for example, in an AIDS walk or join PETA members in an anti-circus protest when Barnum and Bailey is in town. Talk to others supporting the organization to get first-hand opinions. See for yourself how the donated money is spent to raise awareness about your cause. Watch videos of events if you can't attend one yourself to get a feel for the organization.
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Narrow your list down to one or a couple organizations and/or causes you'd like to support. Test out volunteering for more than one charity if you need to before planning on sticking to only one. Know that no matter how much money you can give should be appreciated and accepted by a charity and that you should not be pressured to give more than you can.
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References
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