29,616 projects in over 175 countries, and over $569,000 raised. This is GlobalGiving.
This is in brief, the result that GlobalGiving, based in Washington D.C, has achieved since 2002.
However, in this exclusive piece, we will see GlobalGiving’s powerful impact- beyond numbers and statistics.
For almost two decades, GlobalGiving- a non-profit that supports other non-profits by connecting them to donors and companies, has been helping and trusting community-led organisations from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe (and hundreds of places in between) access the tools, training, and support they need to make our world a better place.
You are probably right to ask: What makes the world a better place, and how?
Let’s dig into this, and more, with the help of the 23-years old Sami Adler, Brand Marketing and Communications Fellow at GlobalGiving.
Speeding Up Community-led Change
Looking back at 1997, she recalls, Mari Kuraishi and Dennis Whittle identified a gap in charitable giving: regular donors and companies could not easily give to trusted, grassroots organisations of their choice.
“GlobalGiving was founded in 2002 to help donors find and fund community-led projects that appealed to their specific interests – all over the world.
“Today, people in over 165 countries can easily share their ideas, and individual donors and companies can easily support vetted non-profits through GlobalGiving.”
Currently, GlobalGiving has over 29,000 projects, with some of their most popular themes including education, disaster relief, and climate action.
“We find that many of the best solutions in each of these areas – from disaster response to climate action – are coming from the communities that are most directly impacted.
“That’s why, she adds, GlobalGiving emphasises the importance of community-led solutions built around collective leadership, power sharing, and cultural context.
“GlobalGiving’s overarching mission is to ‘transform aid and philanthropy to accelerate community-led change’.”
Ending Youth Unemployment
One of the projects listed on GlobalGiving is The End Youth Unemployment.
Support Trade Education, which fosters an early intervention approach to curbing youth unemployment.
The project encourages and supports thousands of students to start a lifelong journey of vocational learning and career development.
The principal aim of the project is to equip graduates of senior secondary schools with industry-relevant trade-specific competencies that allow for informed career decisions and exploration of career paths.
“This project was posted by our non-profit partner Tributary Initiative for Learning, a Nigeria-based organisation,.” Sami said when I asked her about this project, which relates back to the purpose of our magazine to offer young people a platform where they can read relevant information for them.
Our main purpose is to develop relevant content to help youth around the globe to direct their youth time towards social responsibility and service to the world.
You can learn more about this organisation through their project reports.
Here are some additional projects that Youth Time readers might be interested in:
Young EcoLeaders of the Brazilian Rainforest: This programme aims to help children living in Brazil become eco-leaders of the future.
Creating a Just Recovery for Puerto Rico: In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, La Maraña is bringing citizens together to envision a new future for Puerto Rico.
Invest in the Future of 20 New Youth Leaders!: Fly By Light youth program provides supportive and positive spaces for young people to learn how to peacefully resolve conflict.
Connecting Detroit Youth to a Brighter Future: The Youth Connection exposes hundreds of youth to careers by offering them opportunities for paid summer internships, community service, academic support, substance abuse prevention, and nutrition education.
Increase Profits for 3,500 Poor Farmers In India: This programme is helping farmers avoid having their products cut out by middlemen and advocate for fair trade and sustainable agriculture.
Educate Indigenous Women Leaders to Defeat Poverty: This project empowers sustainable community development by using women-led leadership, human rights training, and network building to drive demand for basic services and home-grown solutions to problems.
Small Donations, Huge Impact
When asked how youth can engage and support the GlobalGiving cause, she initially highlights that young people are already doing so much to educate people (even people much older than them) about some of the world’s most pressing issues.
“At GlobalGiving we applaud that! We are always looking for young people to raise awareness about the solutions they are so passionate about.”
Anyone can make a donation of any size to a project of their choice on GlobalGiving’s website.
“That means the non-profit can worry less about spending less time on fundraising and more time working in their communities. I think many young people, especially if they are not yet financially stable, can feel intimidated by charitable giving.”
Even though it can feel like your donation may not be making a difference, for these localised approaches, the power of small donations is huge, Adler explains.
“Especially if those small donations are coming from a ton of people.
“Social media applications like TikTok and Twitter can help young people spread the word about GlobalGiving’s trusted grassroots partners and their solutions,” she concludes.
About Sami Adler
As a Marketing and Communications Fellow, Samantha works to find and amplify the stories of GlobalGiving’s amazing partners in pursuit of social good all over the world.
A recent Miami University graduate, Sami cultivated her passion for writing and social justice by earning a degree in global and intercultural studies and strategic communications.
Off the clock, Sami enjoys exploring new hiking trails and spending quality time with friends and family.
Photos: GlobalGiving
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