What You Should Know Before Donating to Children’s Charities

As the saying goes, “The children are our future,” but with so many children living in poverty or facing debilitating diseases, that future is bleak without our help.

No child deserves to go hungry or live a life cut prematurely short, and donating to children’s charities can go a long way toward giving young people around the world a brighter future.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the choices of children’s charities and how you can contribute, keep reading. We’ve vetted the most popular children’s charities and shared our recommendations of charities that are doing things right.

How Do Children’s Charities Help Kids?

Children are the most vulnerable members of society, and the role of children’s charities is to support children in need by improving their quality of life, access to resources, and overall well-being. Depending on the specific charity, the funds raised can be used to tackle issues like poverty, hunger, illness, and a lack of access to education.

Charities can help kids by providing basic needs, healthcare, mental health, nutrition, advocacy, recreation, family support, and more. The goal of reputable charities is to ensure children can thrive and reach their full potential, regardless of their circumstances or start in life.

There’s a personal benefit to donating to children’s charities, too. As a donor, you get satisfaction knowing that you’re making the world a better place by helping a child who needs you.

What Are the Long-Term Benefits to Society of Supporting Children’s Charities?

Supporting charities aimed at helping children can have a long-lasting societal impact. Though it might not be immediate, you can see the long-term benefits in these areas:

• Improved education: when children have access to education or funds to achieve higher learning, they contribute to a skilled workforce. In turn, societies benefit from economic growth and continuous innovation.
• Reduced poverty: Many children’s charities aim to help families who need economic assistance. When these gaps are met, it can break a cycle of poverty and set children up for success later in life.
• Better health outcomes: By providing funds for nutrition, healthcare, and disease research, children can live healthier lives, which can reduce the financial burden on the healthcare system and allow children to grow up to be more productive adults.
• Lower crime rates: Giving children access to education, mental health support, and positive role models can give at-risk youths the tools and motivation they need to avoid criminal activity.
• Stronger economies: Children who grow up healthy and educated are better equipped to contribute to the advancement of society and economic growth.

Donating to children’s charities can also boost awareness of critical issues. You’ll also be setting a positive example of helping others and contributing to a spirit of community involvement. If you have children, you can get them involved and show them what it means to give back to the community.

What Are Some Well-Known Charities for Children?

The number of charities is staggering, though some children’s charities are more well-known than others. In the U.S. alone, there are more than 1.5 million nonprofit organizations, which represent 5.7% of the total economy.

To help you narrow down the most worthwhile charities for your support, we’ve identified five reputable charities dedicated to improving the lives of children.

UNICEF

UNICEF, short for United Nations Children’s Fund, tops our list as one of the most recognized children’s charities. The aim of this nonprofit is to help children around the world who are living in poverty and facing malnutrition.

UNICEF has a presence in 190 countries, and the overarching goal of the organization is to give disadvantaged children access to basic needs like clean water, nutrition, healthcare, and education, all while launching initiatives to save minors from localized harm.

There are numerous ways to contribute to UNICEF besides cash donations. There’s a marketplace of goods, so you can donate funds through shopping. The organization also has a list of items needed for various locations across the globe.

Save the Children

Like UNICEF, Save the Children operates on a global scale. With the tagline “helping one child at a time,” Save the Children recognizes that every child’s life is precious, and we should do all we can to help as many children as possible with the resources at our disposal.

The original mission of Save the Children was to battle hunger after World War I, and the charity has since evolved to address any issue or challenge a child faces.

Save the Children accepts various forms of donations, including product donations for education and emergency preparedness. The charity also welcomes financial donations, including monthly contributions and fundraisers.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Referred to as St. Jude’s, this charitable organization is focused on finding cures for pediatric diseases, including childhood cancer.

Supporting this charity also provides funds for experimental treatments, which are typically not covered by insurance. Even when insurance is an option, more than half of the children St. Jude’s treats lack adequate insurance.

This charity has included dozens of ways to donate and contribute, from cash donations to shopping at a designated Amazon storefront. You can also donate your time by volunteering at a local hospital or hosting a fundraising event.

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals, for short) raises both funds and awareness of its network of 170 pediatric hospitals across the U.S. The goal of this charity is to ensure that children receive access to necessary healthcare, regardless of a family’s ability to pay.

When you visit the website, you’ll be automatically directed to a local pediatric hospital that needs your help. Since the charity’s inception in 1983, more than 10 million children have been helped through generous donations.

Make-A-Wish Foundation

This children’s charity grants wishes to children who are battling critical illnesses. 500,000 wishes have been granted so far, with a new wish being granted every 34 minutes. By finding something that a child who may not live a long, natural life desires, even if it’s far-fetched, a child can approach life with a new sense of hope and a lasting memory.

By reviving hope, children can be inspired to fight harder against their illness, no matter how high the odds are stacked against them. Donating to Make-A-Wish Foundation can be done in numerous ways, including financial contributions, fundraising, and volunteering. You can even donate an old car or your unused airline miles.

Types of Children’s Charities

While many children’s charities have an overarching goal of helping children in all areas, many focus on specific initiatives, including the following:

• Health-related: Improving the health and well-being of children is always a worthwhile cause. The initiatives may be focused on battling illness or disease, or the goal could be to provide the necessary tools, nutrition, and healthcare to keep kids healthy.
• Education-focused: Some charities focus on making education accessible. This could include scholarships, funding for teachers, building schools, or donations of critical supplies.
• Shelter and housing: Whether finances are tight or disaster has struck, several children’s charities are aimed at providing housing or other shelter options for kids and families.
• Hunger and nutrition: Food is a basic need, and with so many children living below poverty levels, battling hunger and malnutrition is a top priority.

Are There Any Specific Guidelines for Donating to Children’s Charities?

You can choose which charities are dearest to your heart, and it’s up to you whether you donate your time, provide charities with donated items, or give money in a lump sum or on an automatic monthly basis.

To ensure that your contributions go to a worthy cause, we recommend doing some due diligence (if you are donating to a charity that’s not on our list of vetted nonprofits).

Before visiting the website to get a feel for what the charity is all about, we recommend doing a basic Google search and including words like “fraud,” “scam,” and “review” alongside the name of the charity to ensure that everything is above board.

You can also visit third-party sites like Charity Watch to see how funds are allocated. It’s also a good idea to confirm the charity is an IRS tax-exempt organization (if you want your contributions to be tax-deductible).

What Are Some Ways Individuals Can Contribute to Children’s Charities?

As an individual, it can sometimes feel like a single contribution won’t make a difference. However, every little bit counts. Even if you don’t have a lot of funds, you can still contribute in the following ways:

• Organize a donation drive
• Host a fundraiser
• Spread awareness of an issue and a charity that helps
• Donate household items or cars
• Encourage your company to give to children’s charities
• Support businesses that donate to charity
• Volunteer your time
• Attend charity galas and events
• Bid on auction items that benefit charity

Are Donations to Children’s Charities Tax-Deductible?

In most cases, the answer to whether donations to children’s charities are tax-deductible is a resounding yes. However, you should check to be sure that the organization is a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit. You can confirm the status by using this helpful tool from the IRS that allows you to search a nonprofit’s status.

When claiming a tax deduction for a donation to a children’s charity, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• You must itemize deductions when you file your federal income tax return to claim any donations
• Keep receipts of any donations if you are ever audited
• Charitable deductions have limits, so be sure to be aware of how much you can deduct
• Recent legislation increased the amount of the standard tax deduction, which could affect your ability to deduct charitable contributions

Have items to donate to benefit a children’s charity? Please feel free to contact Easy Donation Pickup, or book a pickup today.