How to decide on the right charity for your donation?
The team here at A Good Thing works hard to make the user experience of our app as smooth and simple as possible. After all, who needs obstacles getting in the way of doing a good thing?
Let’s get that dust-gathering stuff out of your office and into the hands of someone who can make a real difference with it.
Your feedback matters
How do we find out about the user experience of our app at A Good Thing? We simply ask our community. Whenever we chat with the wonderful businesses and charities that use our platform, we ask about their experience.
One thing that has come up a few times is how to decide which charity should receive a donation when there have been multiple requests?
For some, deciding which charity to support is a personal choice, and the answer is obvious. But if you’re having trouble, here are a few ideas that might help you choose:
Option one: support a super local cause
Supporting a local charity has its perks. It could be easier to deliver the item – maybe someone on your team can drop it off nearby, or the charity can pick it up without being a drain on their precious resources.
From a sustainability point of view, it also makes sense to support local causes, as it reduces travel emissions. Plus, you get to build a connection with your local community, which could turn into a long-term relationship. Why not use the platform to see which is the closest charity? You’ll be surprised; there is likely to be one request that is just a couple of miles away, or even just a street away!
Option two: get your team involved
We especially like this one. Every charity or non-profit exists because it means something special to someone.
If you plan on donating regularly, why not let a different team member choose a cause that’s meaningful to them each time? It’s a great way to show your team that you care about what matters to them, and it could connect to something personal, like a difficult time in their life. It shows that the company supports their challenges.
Option three: make the most impact
Another option is to focus on impact rather than the cause itself. Charities often tell you how they plan to use your donation in their submission. Read through these and decide which organisation will likely make the biggest local impact with the item you're offering.
Option four: Choose the first charity that applies
If you want to eliminate all friction from the decision, just go with a first-come, first-served approach. Let the universe decide!
This is a tried-and-tested method that most people feel is fair. If it makes the process easier, I’d call that a win.
All of these options work because you’re sending less to landfill and helping a good cause. Hopefully, one of these ideas resonates with you and makes the process even smoother.
If you come across any other obstacles while using the A Good Thing platform, we’d love to hear from you. Big or small, we love finding solutions.
Option five: look out for a ‘highlighted’ charity
If you spot a highlighted charity amongst those who have requested the item, you may want to pick this one! Highlighted charities are ones that have requested a couple of items on the platform but have not had much success. We want to ensure we spread the love amongst our wonderful charity community and would be thrilled if you could support this by picking a highlighted charity that’s requested your offer.
Finally, remember: once you’ve decided who to donate to, you don’t have to worry about telling the charities that aren’t receiving the donation – the app handles that for you by sending a lovely message to those who aren’t successful. But first, you need to decide.
Want to know more? Or need a hand?