Travel Tips

Organizations You Can Support This Year for #GivingTuesday

Locations in this article:  Philadelphia, PA

giving

Chances are, many of you are already planning on spending money on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But if you want to put your hard-earned dollars toward a good cause at the same time, there’s #GivingTuesday. It’s the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, and this day focuses on giving to charities and non-profit organizations that can make a positive difference. #GivingTuesday began three years ago,  and last year more than 10,000 non profit organizations participated.

This year, #GivingTuesday takes place on December 2, and you can donate to organizations that support community outreach and wildlife. Even if you’re traveling on the 2nd of December, some hotels will donate to charities—and give you a discount. Here’s how you can help.

Community Outreach

Operation USA

Operation USA assists communities who have been hit by natural disasters, diseases, or other catastrophic situations. Operation USA provides relief all over the world, giving financial assistance, materials, reconstruction, and development aid while working with community-based organizations. To donate or learn more, click here.

Lil Cupcake Girls

Lil Cupcake Girls, which works in association with No Kid Hungry, will be hosting bake sales for #GivingTuesday. You can volunteer your time and help sell cupcakes at the bake sale, or pick up a tasty treat. Every $1 raised provides a child with 10 meals, and $46 will go toward feeding a child all year long. Click here for more information and to participate.

Projects For All

Projects For All is a non-profit organization that provides assistance for communities in Africa. Its main goal is to help individual communities become self-sufficient through education and jobs so they will not need to rely on aid in the future. There are many ways you can participate, including being an online mentor, submitting financial donations, or volunteering your time with the African communities. For more information, click here.

Humanity Road

Humanity Road is a volunteer-based non-profit organization provides assistance and information surrounding national disasters. During and after events such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and disease outbreaks, the organization helps connect people to emergency services through the Internet and social media. Humanity Road also uses its social media accounts to keep individuals across the country updated on potential hazards. For more information or to donate, click here.

Partners Relief and Development

Partners Relief and Development is an organization that specifically provides aid and support to children affected by conflict and oppression all over the world. They help by providing medical needs (including surgical procedures such as cleft palette repair) to other forms of aid. For their involvement in #GivingTuesday, once they reach a $5,000 goal, they will match every dollar donated to children in need. Click here to donate or learn more.

Double The Donation

For companies who wish to match the donations of their employees, there is Double the Donation. In the past, companies such as American Eagle Outfitters, Coca-Cola, and DirecTV have donated more than $20,000 to non-profit organizations. To find out if your company will match your donation, click here.

Wildlife

If you’re an animal person or you just enjoy nature, there are many organizations participating in #GivingTuesday that contribute to wildlife societies, animal shelters, and preserving nature.

Nature Conservancy

Nature Conservancy is participating in #GivingTuesday this year with two campaigns: Adopt an Acre and Give Back To Nature. With Adopt an Acre, you can adopt an acre of rainforest land to preserve for future generations. Since the campaign began in 1991, more than 600,000 acres of land have been adopted. With the Give Back to Nature program, you can donate your time to help preserve natural landscapes and ecosystems. Click here to learn more or to donate.

Wildlife Alliance

The Wildlife Alliance works to preserve and protect the natural habitats of many species of animals. By donating for #GivingTuesday, you are helping preserve the homes of animals in the wild as well as keeping those animals safe. For more information or to donate click here.

Safari Magazine

Safari Magazine works to protect wildlife and is utilizing the social media aspect of #GivingTuesday in their campaign for orangutans. Safari is asking all of its followers to post a message at 8 a.m. on December 2 inviting people to share bananas with their baby orangutans. To learn more about how you can help, click here.

Hotels Participating in #GivingTuesday

Harrah’s Resort, Southern California

Harrah’s Resort in Southern California will be participating in a Habitat for Humanity build-out for #GivingTuesday. The event will take place in the resort’s hometown of Escondido, and the Resort will donate time, energy, and resources to the local community. Harrah’s employees are able to volunteer, and the resort is providing lunch for all volunteers and staff members. To learn more, click here.

Hotel Monaco, Philadelphia

On December 2, Hotel Monaco in Philadelphia is offering a one-day only sale in honor of #GivingTuesday. If you book between 12 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. and use the promo code GIVING, you’ll receive 15 percent off the best available rate. Additionally, $10 will be donated to Philabundance, the largest food bank and hunger relief organization in the region. You can also opt for an additional $20 donation to the charity, which Hotel Monaco will match. This is valid for stays from December 2, 2014 to March 31, 2015. Click here for more information.

Kimpton Hotels

Kimpton Hotels is working in association with The Trevor Project, a non-profit organization that provides outreach and crisis intervention for LGBTQ youth. On Novemeber 26, members of the Kimpton Karma Rewards program will be able to save on hotel room bookings, and $5 for each night booked will be donated to the The Trevor Project. The sale opens up to the public on November 28 and ends on December 2. Click here for more information.

For more information on how you can give back while you travel, check out:

By Kandice Martellaro for PeterGreenberg.com