The Active Giver (Part 3)

So now I have 20 charities on my list. I'm narrowing them down.

I'm now spending a bit more time on their websites. I'm ranking their social media presence (do they have Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr?) and the options I have in ways I can give.

I can only give so much in terms of money, but I am looking to see if I can volunteer. If they publicise upcoming events online, and invite people to actively take part (e.g. to clean up the beach, or to plant trees), then it might be that I give them a few hours each month, rather than cash.

I'm also looking at the information they provide about how to give online. Some only seem to allow memberships, others encourage direct credit. I'm particularly looking for charities that give me information on how to give to them via Payroll Giving. I'm finding many charities are really happy to take the cash, but very few are offering information around the Payroll Giving scheme. Maybe it's a total pain to process the side of the charity, and so they are not encouraging people to give. If that's the case, then that should be sorted out, because as a giver, Payroll Giving encourages me to give.

Anyway. Below are the summaries for one half of the charities I have left on my list. From over 3000 options, these are my final twenty. In no particular order...

1. Save Our Bees. Campaign and educate around the issues surrounding bee loss. They encourage people to keep bees, and show you how to set up a hive. You can find them on Facebook here.
2. Nga Uruora - Kapiti Project. Reforesting the Kapiti area. If they use social, I can't find it on their website. They also encourage memberships and volunteering. I live in Auckland so volunteering isn't an option for me.
3. Sustainable Coastlines. Helping clean up beaches. Very easy to sign up for their newsletter where you can be kept up to date on volunteer opportunities. Also very easy to find is their Twitter and Facebook accounts, both of which promote volunteer opportunities all over the country.
4. Forest and Bird. "Advocating and acting to get better protection for our environment". On both Twitter and Facebook. There is lots of encouragement to be a volunteer, but the different volunteer opportunities seem to be project-based. I can't find information on, say, tree-planting days in Auckland. They are however, a very definite favourite, despite not providing information on payroll giving.
5. Kaharoa Kokako Trust. Eliminating pests and reestablishing the Kokako to the Kaharoa area. I grew up near Kaharoa, and I think Kokako are lovely. Listen:
   
   No social, and they don't provide information on payroll giving, but they do tell you how much they would like to fundraise.
6. The Reforest Trust. Buying land, foresting it with introduced species and using a combination of the carbon credits the forest generates, and forestry to fund more forests. They aim to allow native forests to regenerate under the introduced species. No social, or information on payroll giving, but they have an internet-payment system which allows you to offset your carbon, which I think it pretty awesome.
7. Centennial Park Bush Society. Wildlife restoration project based in Campbell's Bay on the North Shore. Volunteer hours are during work for me (they indicate they do weekend volunteer work as well, but it's not on their events calender). No social, but plenty of information about how to donate.
8. Tawharanui Open Sanctuary Society Inc (TOSSI). Involved in restoration, monitoring and pest control in the Tawharanui regional park. Membership and volunteer opportunities available. No information on payroll giving, no social.
9. Te Araroa Trust. Create and maintain the walks on the Te Araroa Pathway, which spans from Cape Rienga to Bluff. They have a Google Group and a Facebook Group. Information on donation is pointed strongly at one-off donation, and they do not currently support direct credit.
10. Motutapu Restoration Trust. Cleaning up Mototapu Island. No social, no information around payroll giving. They do seek regular donations, but tend to push volunteering

The second half of the final 20 will be published at a later date. I am getting closer to the final recipient, and this exercise has definitely opened my eyes to many different ways I can contribute. I wouldn't go through all this effort again, but I hope my chronicle of my experience might reach a charity or two, so they can see what they might look like to someone who wants to give money. 

The process is very much based on the things I find important, but I strongly believe an effective online presence is important to encourage a new generation of givers. Not only so we can actually find charities and see what they do, but so that we can engage in their activities. We don't want our inbox or mailbox crowded (most people I know seem to think that sending physical newsletters is a huge waste of money), but we might very well RSVP to an invitation to clean up our local beach on Facebook, and you can't invite us if you're not on the platform.