Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my post-election ennui. Now I’m doing something about it.

Today is #GivingTuesday, and regardless of how you feel about the proliferation of Thanksgiving holiday adjuncts (Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, etc.), there are many opportunities to amplify your donations today and this week due to other people and organizations matching funds.

And sure, those folks could just give their money freely instead of digging a hole in the ground, but it’s their money. Anyway, the point of matching funds is to spread awareness and encourage others to give as well.

I’m taking the advice of many wiser people and setting up monthly donations to support causes I believe in. I can spare $100 a month—that’s $10 to each group, in case you’re counting—and here’s where it’s going:

1. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) – not tax deductible, FYI.
2. Planned Parenthood (PPFA) – tax deductible “to the fullest extent allowable,” because laws matter, goddammit.
3. Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) – “fully tax deductible as allowed by law, less the fair market value of any substantial gifts received.”
4. Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) – now based in Portland, Oregon!
5. Black Lives Matter – “IDEX provides services such as fiduciary oversight, financial management, and other administrative services to Black Lives Matter. IDEX is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization for both federal and state purposes. Our federal tax identification number is 77-0071852.”
6. Native American Rights Fund – not just because their acronym is NARF.
7. National Immigration Law Center – because immigrants, we get the job done.
8. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) – “a not-for-profit organization recognized as tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3).”
9. Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) – “a 501(c)(3) under federal tax guidelines. TAX ID: 77-0646756”
10. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) – the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization in the United States.

So. Tell me. What are you doing to fuck shit up?