It’s stimulus time, which means it’s time to put the call out for donations again.
If you are financially able – which is to say, you’re not having trouble paying your bills, rent, and putting food on the table – please consider donating your stimulus. If you make too much to receive a stimulus, then set aside $600 (or more!) to donate. A lot of people have spent most of 2020 unemployed, and this stimulus is basically a joke compared to a year without work.
Start by making sure your friends and family are okay. Asking about other people’s financial situation can be sensitive – something I learned in 2020 is that many people are very reluctant to ask for or accept help, even when they’re at rock bottom. Here’s a few tips for navigating these conversations:
1. Give unconditionally and respect their privacy: don’t ask for specifics about their situation. Don’t ask what they need the money for.
2. Make it easy for them to accept help by removing power dynamics: don’t make it a loan, don’t expect anything in return. Owing debts to friends is a terrible feeling and can ruin relationships. 3. Turn it into an expression of love: tell people why you care about them enough to support them in this way. Make their fucking day.
If you don’t know anyone personally that needs help, then look after your local community. Restaurants, bars, clubs, music venues and event spaces have been asking for help all year. Google “<your city/neighborhood> mutual aid” and there’s a good chance you’ll see a variety of local organizations providing many kinds of aid in your neighborhood. The two biggest issues right now are homelessness and hunger, and money towards housing and feeding people is extremely “efficient” in terms of impact. If you want to see what your money does, they’ve all got newsletters and instagram accounts with regular updates. Here are three NYC-based orgs I can strongly recommend:
– Bed Stuy Strong does amazing work – food and PPE distribution, community cleanup, internet access, basically everything they can do to improve equity. Their guiding principles are an excellent, thoughtful read. https://bedstuystrong.com/
– Bushwick Ayuda Mutua is the same thing but for Bushwick. They’re doing reachouts in Maria Hernandez park all the time, and prioritize the hispanic community in Bushwick. https://bushwickayudamutua.com/
– Food Bank NYC is the most impactful org dollar-for-dollar in getting food to people in the city. There’s been record numbers of food insecure people this year and $20 is enough to supply 100 meals. https://www.foodbanknyc.org/
Then, if you’ve given to your friends and community, consider larger organizations. You can’t give to every cause in need, so I recommend focusing on areas you feel strongly about. What are the problems that keep you up at night or suck you in whenever you’re scrolling the feed? For me, I care about drugs, prisons, journalism, and technology, so I’ve been donating to these orgs:
– The Marshall Project provides the best investigate journalism for criminal justice in the country, and they offer a platform for incarcerated people to share their stories. https://www.themarshallproject.org/
– ProPublica focuses almost exclusively on deep investigate reporting, which are high quality and laser-focused on meaningful, relevant problems. https://www.propublica.org/
– Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is currently running the largest research study for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, which is a huge step towards decriminalization. https://maps.org/
There’s the classics, too – Planned Parenthood, ACLU – but for me, giving to large orgs is a draining exercise. You mostly get spam in the mail in return, which feels gross. But I do believe in their work.With any organization, it’s strongly recommended you set up recurring donations rather than donating a lump sum. This makes their budgeting process significantly easier and enables them to think more long-term about their work.
Whatever you do, please donate as much as you can. Find the people and causes you care about most, and make their day.