BY JAMES WERNICKE
Los Alamos
Today is Giving Tuesday, a day dedicated to giving our time, money, and influence to local nonprofits and community organizations. These organizations work tirelessly for our community by not only providing for immediate needs such as food, shelter, healthcare, and education, but also for our future, protecting our environment and preserving our history and heritage. According to Giving USA, individuals made up 67% of charitable giving in 2023. As organizations who depend wholly on voluntary support, you can be assured they are especially motivated not only to be accountable and transparent with how they use your donation, but also to maximize its impact. Websites like GuideStar, Charity Navigator, and GiveWell can help you find the most effective charities. However, it’s also important to realize that smaller and younger charities can still have great impact on the things you care about even though they’re may not yet have the resources or experience to score well on these assessments.
If you’re interested specifically in supporting local organizations, Los Alamos Community Foundation provides an online platform—LosAlamosGives.org. There you can find almost 40 local organizations who need your support. If you’re a LANL employee, you can increase the impact of your giving further with northern New Mexico organizations through their Giving Tool. Even if you don’t donate enough to take advantage of itemized deductions on your tax return, there are other opportunities to cut your tax liability such as donor-advised funds and qualified charitable distributions from your IRA.
Giving Tuesday doesn’t have to be just about nonprofits. Many for-profit enterprises even outperform nonprofits in creating positive impacts in their communities. And when you patronize local shops, restaurants, and service providers, you are giving to the community by supporting the livelihoods of our neighbors and friends, who in turn reinvest into our community, completing the cycle of a sustainable economy.
Every great thing about this community has been the result of volunteer efforts. I hope you’ll continue that tradition today by donating, volunteering, shopping, or simply spreading the word about the unique nonprofits and small businesses that we are lucky to have here.