Postlight End-of-year Giving 2017

Last year, after our first full year of operation, the people of Postlight identified 33 online charities that we like to support. (Predictably, this led to an essay about the broken online checkout experience at many charity websites.) This year, our second, we went a little further, so we set aside $500 per employee from profits and asked people to tell us where to give. Some charities had more than one giver. Here’s what people told us about their gifts:

ACLU

2017 made clear that civil liberties need defending.

Anti-Defamation League

With a goal of fighting anti-semitism and bigotry in the US and abroad, the Anti Defamation League is, unfortunately, more relevant than ever.

Arch City Defenders

Arch City Defenders provides legal services for underrepresented St. Louisans, and advocates for the kind of criminal justice reform the city sorely needs. I can’t always get out to participate in the protests, so I fund the defense of the folks who do.

Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

This organization focuses on all of the things, good and bad, that come with ADHD, and offers a ton of support to people who have the disorder. It’s a positive resource.

DonorsChoose.org — Ms. Vora

Donors Choose helps teachers help their students. The teachers raise money for projects. Picking a classroom to help is incredibly gratifying.

Downtown Women’s Center

Los Angeles is in the middle of a homelessness crisis; the Downtown Women’s Center provides support to some of the most vulnerable of those affected, helping and supporting them overcome poverty and homelessness.

Earthjustice

Earthjustice is the OG of nonprofit environmental law organizations. They work to protect natural ecosystems as well as the communities most affected by climate change. I appreciate the fact that they represent every client free of charge.

Environmental Defense Fund

The environment really, really, really needs defending right now.

Getting Out and Staying Out

Supporting offenders so that they don’t return to the criminal justice system as offenders is incredibly important in a just society. It’s all in this statistic: “Fewer than 15% of GOSO participants return to jail, as compared to a national average of 67% for their age group.”

Hispanics in Philanthropy

I like the fact that they distribute donations to multiple causes I care about, and their rating is high, so I have faith that they’ll use the donation effectively.

Human Rights Campaign

HRC works to protect and expand rights for LGBTQ people, including advocating for marriage equality, anti-discrimination and hate crimes legislation, and HIV/AIDS advocacy.

International Rescue Committee

I’m super fortunate to live a safe and healthy life, but in reality, many people are living through humanitarian disasters. The IRC, due to their size, is able to help out so many of these people.

Irvine Nature Center

It’s a giant nature preserve for Baltimore kids to roam around in and learn about the natural world. We all need green things.

Little Essentials

I’ve got two little kids and they grow up fast. It’s a constant cycle of buying to outgrowing to disposing or giving away. NYC has an incredible disparity of both well off and families below the poverty line. This is a great organization that built a bridge so all that STUFF goes to the places where it’s needed most.

Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation

My dad was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in 2010 and later passed away in 2013. The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation is a powerhouse for spreading awareness and resources for this disease-helping to accelerate next generation treatments to extend patients’ lives in pursuit of a cure. They advocate for clinical trials and their patients, which almost tripled my Dad’s original prognosis. They help spread hope in an otherwise hopeless situation.

Nick’s Place

Nick’s Place is a one-of-a-kind, affordable structured and supervised Recovery Home for young men aged 20–26. It was founded in 1999 in memory of Nicholas Cristarella (1974–1997) who passed away as result of the disease of addiction at the age of 22. His parents created Nick’s Place in his honor, and to help other young men in their journey through recovery. My younger brother lived here for a almost a year in 2010–this December he celebrated his 8th year of sobriety.

North Bay Fire Relief / Redwood Credit Union Community Fund Inc.

A fund set up to assist the victims of the recent devastating wildfires in Northern California that claimed over 40 lives and thousands of homes. All administrative costs of the fund are covered by the backing credit union so that 100% of funds raised go towards relief aid. Thousands have received checks already.

Ozone House

This place has an open door for all kinds of young people needing a safe place to sleep, eat, and find support. Kids on the street are vulnerable, often unable to turn to family or religious institutions, so it’s nice to know there’s a somewhere they can go for help.

Planned Parenthood

For over 100 years Planned Parenthood has been a fantastic resource for not only women’s healthcare, but healthcare for a variety of folks who may not otherwise have access to it. It’s a healthcare provider that is safe and reliable, and it adamantly endeavors for the best interest of its patients.

Printed Matter

We’re a digital product shop, which means that most of our design work happens on screens, where you can’t really touch or hold things. Printed Matter is the opposite of that. Part bookstore (here in NY, just like us), part archive, part educational organization, and part book fair operator, Printed Matter focuses its efforts on artists books and the creation and preservation of both the books themselves and the culture they represent. Our design work and our lives are better and richer for the work that Printed Matter does, and at a time when arts funding is in need, it’s exciting that we can support their endeavors.

Recovery Point WV

I reached out to Elaine McMillion Sheldon, the director of the recent Heroin(e) documentary on Netflix. She recommended donating to a handful of organizations that are battling West Virginia’s devastating opioid epidemic. Recovery Point provides long-term, residential recovery programs to individuals in Huntington, WV and Charleston, WV at no cost. Graduates maintain a 68 percent sobriety rate one year after graduating the program.

Red Cross Hurricane Maria Disaster Relief

Hurricane Maria ravaged Dominica and Puerto Rico this fall, leaving the latter in a state of humanitarian disaster. I wanted to play a small part in helping our Caribbean neighbors rebuild their lives.

The Ali Forney Center

LGBTQ youth are 8 times more likely to experience homelessness than non-LGBTQ youth. The support of family and community is not a given for everyone, and many have to leave their homes just to survive. This organization serves nearly 1,400 youth a year with its mission of providing a continuum of services in preparation for living on their own and finding pride within themselves.

The Gates Foundation

One of the things that bothers me most about any kind of organization (non-profit, for-profit, government) is the amount of waste that arises from simple mismanagement. The Gates Foundation, for whatever reason, has found a way to rise above that and deliver real, tangible results. Even with all of their billions of dollars of endowment, the Gates Foundation deserves every penny they get.

The Human Utility

This group just pays water bills for people who need help. That’s it. So far 900 families have running water in Detroit and Baltimore because of their help. It’s just basic human kindness turned into a not-for-profit.

The Purr Factory

I’ve been exposed to the hardship that can happen with the overpopulation of feral cats. We want to help prevent that, which is why we donated to help spay and neuter these animals.

Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary

Woodstock is a sanctuary that rescues farmed animals who are commonly exploited, abused and killed in animal agriculture. It’s a beautiful place to visit that helps educate people about factory farming and why to consider going vegan for your health, the environment and the animals.

World Relief Chicago

Hundreds of refugees restart their lives in Chicago every month. Being unfamiliar with the culture and language, it can be difficult to even receive the help that is provided. World Relief helps ensure that refugees begin with a furnished apartment, stocked with household goods and food. They have workers and volunteers who understand their specific cultural differences and speak their language to assist in the transition.

With a wish for a safe, happy, and prosperous 2018 for all of you, from all of us from Postlight.