Donating to charities – be it your time or your money – is a great way to give back to the community that you’re a part of and lend a helping hand to others less fortunate than yourself. Without the support of donors and volunteers, most charities wouldn’t be able to operate on a daily basis. If you’re looking to donate consider one of these amazing non-profit and charitable organizations based out of New York City.

  • Dress for Success – Since it was founded in 1997 in Harlem by Nancy Lublin, this nonprofit has expanded to provide professional attire to more than 850,000 low income women in 140 locations. It receives funding from a combination of government funding, grants, campaigns, and fundraising events.
  • Robin Hood Foundation – This organization funds a large number of programs – over 100 – that are geared toward preventing poverty and aiding the poor. These include food banks, youth groups, and HIV/AIDS organizations. All operating expenses are covered by the socially-elite-packed board (Gwyneth Paltrow and Harvey Weinstein are both members), so all funds raised will go directly to those who are in need.
  • Charity: Water – Focused on providing safe and clean drinking water to citizens of developing nations through various water technologies, 100% of all its public donations go to fund Charity: Water projects in communities in need. They use various In just five years, it has funded over 4,000 water projects and raised $40 million.
  • Covenant House – As the largest privately-funded non-profit agency in the Americas that provides food, shelter, and crisis care to runaway and homeless youths aged 14-20, Covenant House strives to help these young people transition into adulthood while helping them remove the risk of potential homelessness. They offer educational support and drug abuse prevention programs on top of offering health care and mental health services.
  • Bide-A-Wee Home Association – This 100-year-old animal-advocacy group will, for a donation of $30 or more, help you relocate a puppy or kitten from an animal-control center to a no-kill shelter. You can also bring your dog or cat to participate in their pet therapy program which visits 50 different facilities that include hospitals and nursing homes.
  • The Hope Program – This intensive, sixteen-week program founded in 1984 prepares adults who have been living on public assistance to achieve – and hopefully maintain – self-sufficiency. Over half of those who participate don’t have their high school diploma, many of whom are in their 30s and studying to take the GED. If you volunteer, you can either lead a one-time class on any subject ranging from writing a resume and job interviewing to basic math and English, or you can meet for hour-long one-on-one tutorials twice a week for 12 weeks.
  • Henry Street Settlement – For over a century, this Lower East Side charity group has been providing services to a largely Hispanic and Asian community, including a battered-women’s shelter, day care centers, a mental-health clinic, and an arts center. A donation of $1000 can send a child to summer camp, or you can volunteer as a teacher’s assistant, a tutor, a job coach, or a computer programmer.

While this blog covered several noteworthy charities and nonprofit organizations, there are countless others who could use all the help they can get. Do some research, find organizations in your area, and get out and volunteer and make a difference to someone today.