9 Charities You’ve Never Heard of That You Should Give to This Holiday Season

It’s the holiday season again, which means it’s the season for charitable giving.

If you’re like most people, you’re taking notice of big red kettles showing up outside stores and on street corners, but you’re also feeling a strong overall urge to give back or pay it forward. According to an Indiana University study, people give about 24% of their total annual charitable donations between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.

The 2011 Nonprofit Fundraising Survey found that the majority of nonprofits received more than a quarter of their contributions between October and December.

Sixteen percent of nonprofits received more than half of their total contributions during that time.

The truth is, we tend to give more during the holidays — and charities have come to rely greatly on that influx of donations.

Now the question becomes, “Which charity will you donate to?”

You could go with the brand names — the Red Cross, the National Wildlife Federation, or the Salvation Army perhaps. Or you could go with a charity trying to make the world a better place in a new, innovative way, maybe one that doesn’t have the benefit of instant brand name recognition with donors.

If you’re interested in trying something new this year, in terms of holiday giving, you might want to try one of following 9 awesome charities you’ve never heard of:

1. Helping Hands Monkey Helpers

Quite possibly the most unique nonprofit on this list, Helping Hands Monkey Helpers is not for people who want to help monkeys. Rather, it is a charity that uses trained monkeys to help people with limited mobility — like seeing eye dogs with a primate spin.

Included in this Boston charity’s services are the customized training of the animals to meet each individual’s needs, the dietary and medical care of the animals, and mentoring for each animal-human pairing.

Their mission statement puts it this way:

“These animals bring more than just a willing set of nimble hands to their recipients. They also bring companionship, joy, and the renewed sense of purpose that comes from taking responsibility for the health and well-being of another creature.”

And their stewardship over their funds reflects this dedication to their mission. Ninety-six percent of their revenue goes to programs (always a good sign). And according to Charity Navigator, Monkey Helpers is solid in all accountability and transparency metrics.

2. Acumen

Since 2001, this nonprofit has been dedicated to channelling investment into innovative ventures in the third world to reduce the conditions that create poverty, including health, water, housing, and energy.

“The group raises donations to invest in innovative companies, leaders and ideas,” says DesignGood. “Acumen invests in everything from banks in Pakistan supporting low-income farmers to ambulances in India.”

Reportedly, this charity’s efforts are making a real impact in the countries where they work with the creation of over 58,000 jobs. And any returns they make are channelled into new investments.

Finally, you can trust that this nonprofit will use your funds wisely. The amount of revenue that they spend on programs is a reasonable 76.2% and they pass the accountability and transparency test with flying colors, according to Charity Navigator.

3. APOPO

This Belgian nonprofit might actually give Helping Monkeys a run for their money. APOPO stands for “Anti-Persoonsmijnen Ontmijnende Product Ontwikkeling,” which translates into English as “Anti-Personnel Landmines Detection Product Development.” The product mentioned is rats, giant African pouched rats that have been trained to sniff out dangerous landmines in parts of Africa where the devices still dot the landscape.

As an added bonus, the rats have also been trained to sniff out tuberculosis, making them an invaluable ally in protecting Africans from both hazards. Clearing areas of landmines and tuberculosis also makes it easier for those areas to be developed into productive farms or roads. For this and many other reasons, APOPO has been voted the 11th best NGO (new growth organization) in the world.

4. Yoga Warriors

You wouldn’t believe how many yoga-centric or veteran-centric charities there are out there, but this one is unique for its use of yoga specifically to help war veterans heal physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

This means holding yoga classes for veterans, but it also means training yoga instructors to go out and help others. So far, they’ve deployed more than 350 Yoga Warriors-trained instructors throughout the world to help veterans with physical injuries, PTSD, and other war injuries find peace and balance in their lives.

5. Colalife

Do any kind of international travel and you find out pretty quick that Coca-Cola is everywhere, from the hearts of the biggest cities to the tiniest, most remote villages. At the same time, children in far-flung areas are dying regularly from childhood diarrhea — an easily curable malady if the right supplies could reach families in time.

UK-based charity Colalife noticed these two facts and put two and two together: what if they could hitch a ride on Coca-Cola’s far-reaching distribution network to get diarrhea treatment to children in need?

In truly innovative style, they designed a wedge-shaped pod that could be shipped tucked between the necks of Coke bottles, and these pods would contain all the ingredients of an effective diarrhea treatment.

This charity is still very much in the pilot phase, but its impact on third world families in remote areas could be massive.

6. Family-to-Family

With this nonprofit, well-to-do families become sponsors to families in need, which means providing 7 dinners per month to the family and money to help the family by their own food locally.

According to the charity’s About Us page, they are currently able to serve 12,000 meals to 1,800 men, women, and children across the U.S.

“Providing a monthly box of groceries for a family connects richer communities with some of the country’s poorest areas,” says DesignGood. “If your connection runs deep, visiting the family you’re sponsoring might be a wonderful, eye-opening experience.”

7. Springwire Voicemail

If a homeless person wants to get back on their feet and applies for a job, how can they be reached by a potential employer? Seattle-based Springwire Voicemail seeks to address this need by providing a personalized number and voicemail account for homeless individuals looking for jobs.

“By providing free access to tailored communication tools, Springwire restores a sense of hope and dignity, enabling people in transition to stabilize their lives and get access to the help they need to move out of crisis,” reads their About Us page.

Since their start in 1991, Springwire has grown to serve over 50,000 people in 400 cities nationwide.

8. CharityWater

Finding clean, drinkable water is an ever-present challenge for an estimated 663 million people. This charity is driven by the mission to bring accessible clean water to these individuals through freshwater wells, rain catchments, and sand filters. For $30, they claim, they can bring fresh, clean water to one person.

9. Against Malaria Foundation

Nearly as dangerous in the undeveloped world as unsafe drinking water is malaria, which kills estimated 1 million people per year. This organization invites people to raise money in whatever way they please — running, swimming, ice bucket challenges, etc. — to fund simple measures that can bring malaria down, such as insecticide-treated bed nets.