The Giving Season

Only some families can celebrate Christmas with a beautiful tree and a hot meal. But unfortunately, many children, parents, and individuals will feel the chill at Christmas. And when everyone else is celebrating, it can make their day even darker.

Luckily, you can make a difference. When you’re planning your holiday gifts, donating to a charity is an easy way to lift someone’s day. Many charities are set up expressly to help those in need at Christmas time. And giving to them can bring a warm glow to your heart, as you imagine the surprised smiles on children’s faces, and moms and dads who know that Santa came after all.

You can also give a charity gift or make a donation in someone else’s name. It’s really a gift that keeps on giving. Charity gifts (and all donations) can also be for causes that the recipient cares about. For example, you can donate school lunches, livestock and clean water to communities in tough situations. Or you can donate pet food to animal rescue societies. Your donation could even go towards environmental preservation, access to healthcare, or education in under-serviced areas. Even carbon credits to offset emissions from frequent travelling.

Safely donating online

When you’re making an online donation, you need to keep your financial security in mind. Many scams look like legitimate charities, and it’s important to know when it’s safe to donate.

The safest way to pay for a donation is through a credit card or cheque, as they’re easiest to trace. After donating, make sure your bank statement matches your donation, and that more funds haven’t been taken out.

Crypto donations are possible, but if an organization insists only on crypto payments, be wary. This may be a sign of fraudulent activity. Similarly, asking for wire transfers or gift card payments is a sure sign of a scam. These transactions are hard to trace and more appealing to scammers.

Double-check the name of the charity you’re donating to. Many scams will create pages that look similar to legitimate charitable organizations, with slight changes. Double-check contact information and ensure the charity states how the donation will be used. Vague claims of what your donation will be used for are an alarm signal of fraudulent activity.

When you’re making your donation, make sure it’s through a secure website (starts with https://). Scammers can also create secure sites, but if it’s not secure, you should definitely avoid making a payment through that site.

Donating with crypto

If you want to make a crypto donation, check for organizations that accept it as one of the multiple forms of payment. When using cryptocurrency, you may also be eligible for a tax receipt. To send you a tax receipt, the charity will ask for some personal information as well as your crypto wallet information. In addition, organizations like Canada Helps can act as a broker for multiple charities, and receive cryptocurrency and fiat donations on behalf of the charities. They will then redistribute the donations according to your specifications.

It’s giving season

Charitable donations don’t have to be limited to the Christmas season, but they can be a great way to widen your circle of giving during the holidays. Whether you give on behalf of someone else, as a family or as an individual, financial donations can improve lives, impact the environment, and provide access to healthcare, education, food and water. So choose the organization that best suits you, and make things better for someone this season.

Here are a few organizations that can make a big difference: 

• World Vision
• Food for the Hungry
• The Nature Conservancy
• International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
• Canada Helps.org

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