Where and What to Donate This Christmas

During the holidays you may be drawn to the idea of giving back to your community. Many of us use this time to help remind our kids what the true spirit of the season is, and donating to a Christmas charity can be part of that.

But how can we be sure the organizations we align with don't pose a conflict in terms of our beliefs and intentions and their business practices? For example, The Salvation Army — a Protestant Christian Church with charitable endeavors that spread internationally — has been met with criticism for allegations of discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community.

Caroline Dobuzinskis is a Senior Manager at Charitable Impact, a Canadian organization that helps donors manage their charitable giving by assisting them in choosing meaningful charities. She stressed that feeling a connection to the goals of the organization you're supporting, and the importance of defining your core personal values can make the giving feel more significant.

"Based on what you have learned about yourself, you can search for causes and charities that reflect your values. Having a guiding vision of what you want to support can help your giving feel more meaningful and can avoid donor’s remorse, a close cousin to buyers remorse," Dobuzinskis wrote on the Charitable Impact website.

Concerned about where your financial donations are being used?
Do you wonder if your monetary donations go directly to those in need? The following resources can help you choose the best charitable organizations for your goals:

• Consumer Reports — offers tips for choosing the best charities for your donations.
• Charity Watch — provides a letter-grade system to help you determine where your money is going.
• Charity Navigator — offers resources and tools to facilitate informed giving.

Alanna Gallo is a mom of three and the founder of Play. Learn. Thrive, an organization that educates caregivers on how to raise independent children through play. Gallo donates with intent by encouraging the use of specific types of toys for young children.

What types of toys should you donate?
No matter what types of toy you choose to donate, quality matters. Don't burden an organization with having to dispose of unusable items. In fact, many toy donation Christmas programs require items to be new and in original packaging. That's not to say you can't donate pre-owned usable toys to your local community thrift store, of course.

"It’s important to us that when we donate toys we choose quality open-ended toys that are going to promote independent play. Think wooden blocks, magnetic tiles, figurines, simple dolls vs toys that require batteries or are flashy. This way the toys we donate stand the test of time and promote truly purposeful play," Gallo told Mom.com.

Where to donate toys and gently used items

• Toys for Tots — collects new unwrapped toys
• Cradles to Crayons collects books and school supplies
• SAFE — collects clean, gently used stuffed animals for first responders to distribute
• Check your local children's hospitals to see if they accept toy donations

December is a great time to help your children recognize the importance of giving, and what better way to do that than to donate your time and volunteer as a family. Whether you choose to attend a Christmas charity event or facilitate your own event by setting up a toy drive in your own community, getting the kids involved can make for a more meaningful holiday season.

Another easy way to do this is to connect with your local food bank. Feedingamerica.org allows you to search by zip code for the nearest food pantry. You may be able to drop off donations or work with your kids to help pack donation bags.

Another option is to give back by sending in individual donations or shopping from Comfort Cases Amazon Wish list. The organization provides pajamas, backpacks, books, and stuffed animals to help ease the transition of children entering the Foster Care Program, into a new home.

If you have difficulty finding a charity to donate gently used toys — especially during a global pandemic — consider checking social media for options, as Karen Heffren is doing with her kids this year. "Clothes and stuffed animals purged from their rooms go to our school district's clothing bank — and anything in great giving shape can be offered in our local (Facebook) Buy Nothing Group," the Arizona mom of two told Mom.com.