Three Giving Tuesday Suggestions
It’s Giving Tuesday, the global day of generosity on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving.
In fact, this year is the ten-year anniversary of this occasion’s first official observance.
I’d like to highlight just three of the many worthy charitable organizations you might consider for your own Giving Tuesday generosity this year. I am a donor to all three and I greatly admire the work each organization is doing. All are registered 501(c)3 organizations and contributions to any of them are fully deductible to the extent provided by law. (The obvious disclaimer: please consult a tax professional for specific tax implications of your charitable giving.)
The Center for Christianity and Public Life
CCPL is a new nonpartisan, nonprofit organization based in the nation’s capital with a mission “to contend for the credibility of Christian resources in public life, for the public good.” CCPL “grows, convenes, and represents the community of Christians who are convinced of the centrality of spiritual formation for civic renewal.” I give to CCPL because too often, the loudest stories about Christians in public life are stories of abuses of power, and CCPL aims to resource and elevate Christians, like me, who are motivated by our faith to love and serve our communities in public and civic forums.
Full disclosure: CCPL’s founder/CEO and chief of staff are both friends of mine, but neither asked me to write this endorsement. Donate to The Center for Christianity and Public Life here!
Chicago Voyagers
CV has a mission “to to empower youth through adventure therapy programs that foster healthy relationships and skills for life success.” They operate all manner of year-round programs and activities “for some of the most deserving youth in Chicagoland,” many of whom I firmly believe are the next generation of leaders in Chicagoland and beyond. The organization, now fifteen years since it emerged as an integration of several existing programs, has been growing in leaps and bounds in recent years and I couldn’t be more excited to continue to support them.
Full disclosure: My uncle is CV’s executive director, but he did not ask me to write this endorsement. Donate to Chicago Voyagers here!
The Sphinx Organization
Sphinx, based in Detroit, is a national organization with a mission to “transform lives through the power of diversity in the arts.” Sphinx operates myriad programs serving “beginner students to seasoned classical music professionals, as well as cultural entrepreneurs and administrators.” I’m fortunate in my career to have worked or even just crossed paths with many Sphinx program alumni. Sphinx is currently celebrating 25 years of “pressing the [classical music] field for more diversity in repertory and rosters,” as profiled in The New York Times.
Full disclosure: My current employer, The Washington Chorus, is partnering with Sphinx in a concert production in January 2023 but no one from either organization asked me to write this endorsement. Donate to Sphinx here!
