Last week I read a post, which I now can’t find, basically daring people who write about donor advised funds to put their money where their mouth is.
I seriously doubt that person was writing about me, but I took the sentiment to heart, anyway.
The Ukraine conflict is a little closer to home than I had originally thought. My great-grandparents fled “Russia” a little over a century ago; but a closer look reveals they came from places like “Odessa, Russia” and “Kiev, Russia.” From the stories passed down from my grandparents, they were clearly fleeing the Tsar’s Russian army.
It has been a long time since my family left Ukraine, but I can’t escape the thought that–just like Ukrainians today–they had to pick up and go, leaving everything they knew behind. If they hadn’t, I might be over there right now, deciding whether it was better to stay or go.
I have been feeling the call to help. Mr. PiN asked, and I agreed, that we give money to support the needy, rather than to fund war. But where to give?
Multiple friends and family members have posted links to lists of charities, for those who want to offer monetary help for those suffering from the invasion of Ukraine. I will list some below. I have not vetted any (all) of these organizations, so please do a little reading before deciding to send any of your money.
- From the Philadelphia Inquirer, a list of charities to donate to.
- From NPR, another list of organizations asking for help.
- From The Dodo, a list of organizations helping pets and animals.
- From Fidelity Charitable, a list of highlighted organizations chosen for their experience in the area and their capability to manage a large spike in donations.
I myself have already donated from the donor advised fund I set up last November to a group experienced with helping refugees.
Help Me Donate Money
I will make an offer to you: if you aren’t sure you are ready to give money yourself, pick one of the charities listed on the Fidelity Charitable page, and ask me to donate for you.
Let me say that again: I will give $50 to one of the charities on the Fidelity Charitable page to help with the Ukraine situation. Please nominate the charity in the comments section by Monday March 14, 2022.
Right now, I am going to cap my donations at $250. I don’t think I’ve ever had more than 5 comments on a post before, so I think that’s a fair amount. If considerably more than 5 people write in to nominate one of these charities, I may choose to go with the top 5 charities; or might possibly increase donations.
Since no one chimed in on this post, Mr. PiN and I chose charities to support on our own. And donated more than $250 (DAF for the win: it was much easier to recommend bigger checks when the money had already left our personal account several months ago).