Now that we’ve slept off the effects of the tryptophan, (assuming that’s really a thing, which reportedly, it’s not), it’s time to dedicate ourselves in earnest to holiday shopping.

Holiday shopping is easy. Simply go online or to your favorite store. Shopping small is easy. Just go to your favorite shop, or also go online to small shop sites or your bff’s side hustle.

Black Friday ✓ Small Business Saturday ✓.

But what about that next “holiday,” Giving Tuesday?

Giving Tuesday is a fairly new concept. It was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good.

The idea was born and incubated at the 92nd Street Y and its Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact in New York City, and is now both an independent nonprofit and a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

Even though we’ve all been celebrating this holiday for nine years, people still ask me where they should donate. It can be a tough decision. Maybe you only have five extra dollars this year to spare. And let’s be honest, not a lot of us have extra dollars lying around – unless you’re a fancy billionaire who travels to space on a whim and shall remain nameless – during these pandemic times.

So where will your dollars do the most good? Everywhere.

There are organizations struggling every day to make ends meet to continue serving the people they do. And sometimes, it’s not just serving those less fortunate. Sometimes nonprofits exist to bring joy and happiness to others. Which is just as important.

Take Albany Pro Musica, for example. They’re a local choral group who has performed all over, bringing the gift of music and voice to those who need it to lift their spirits and make their lives better. They may not hand out a hot meal on a cold day, but their mission still matters.

Or Doane Stuart School. You may be thinking, why would I donate to a private school, don’t they get money from tuition? Because part of their nonprofit mission is making sure that any child who wants an education, gets one. So they use their donation dollars to help fund tuition for students who couldn’t otherwise afford one.

While there are very many worthy organizations who do help put food on the table for hungry families, and warm blankets to those who are out in the cold, there are equally as many others who help children, families, and adults from different perspectives.

Take a look at the list we’ve compiled below to see if anything strikes your fancy. Just be aware that this is hardly a comprehensive or exhaustive list. There are plenty of organizations and groups and causes out there in the Capital Region – and the state, and the nation, and the world – that could use your help. And every little bit counts. Truly.

In alphabetical order:

Albany Police Athletic League

The Albany Police Athletic League organizes the Capital Holiday Lights in the Park show every year, and this, its 25th year will be the last year in Washington Park in Albany. While leadership works to secure a new location for next year, your donation dollars will help support the youth development programs that bring kids, cops, and community together in non-law enforcement settings.

DONATE HERE: https://www.albanypal.org/Default.aspx?tabid=940752

Albany Pro Musica

Albany Pro Musica is the preeminent choral ensemble in New York’s vibrant Capital Region, and is renowned for its exceptional technical competency, exquisite artistry, and purposeful programming that is relevant and meaningful in today’s society. This nonprofit is critically acclaimed for its performances of intimate a cappella pieces and large-scale choral works alike, and is currently the Chorus-in-Residence at the historic Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.

DONATE HERE: https://www.albanypromusica.org/donate/

Bring it Home

The Association for Community Living (ACL) developed the Bring it Home Campaign as a way to bring together community-based mental health housing providers, mental health advocates, faith leaders, along with residents and their families, to fight for adequately funded community-based housing programs for individuals with psychiatric disabilities. Full recovery and community reintegration depends on stable housing opportunities. Through education and advocacy, Bring it Home is working to bring better funding for better care to New York State.

DONATE HERE: https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?id=3&name=E349754

Capital Roots

Capital Roots is a staple in the Capital Region, most known for their community gardens, that helps increase healthy food access in urban and low-income areas. They have numerous programs to help with their goal such as their mobile markets, squash hunger, and health stores, that each help increase this access. They have over 30 mobile market stops across the greater Capital Region, and just helped distribute over 150 thousand POUNDS of food to food pantries, shelters, and soup kitchens across Upstate New York, in this year alone.

DONATE HERE: https://www.capitalroots.org/donate/

Caring Chefs & Community Cops

Caring Chefs and Community Cops, or 4C for short, was started by local chef Lawrence Lowe and Albany Police Officer Sadaka Kitonyi. After seeing a news feature about Kitonyi and a “pay it forward” act of kindness in 2019, Lowe made it his new inspiration to help as many people in need as he could. So the two paired up. They delivered 40 holiday meals to those in need their first year working together, and doubled it the next year. This year, they distributed 100 Thanksgiving meals to inner city Albany residents, with aspirations to serve 500 at Christmas. Their goal is to grow this mission, and eventually deliver meals to folks once a month all over the City of Albany. “The need never ends,” and so as they grow, so will the need for more volunteers.

DONATE HERE: https://gofund.me/8c7f6ad6

Colonie Center

Colonie Center prides itself on its involvement in the community. Each year they host an Evening of Giving where area nonprofits are given an opportunity to meet with shoppers and supporters to fundraise. As the pandemic has caused this event to adapt, this year, the Center will host a Season of Giving, kicking off on Black Friday where supporters can choose their favorite nonprofit and donate directly through a QR code on their Wall of Giving located in Center Court all season long.

MORE INFO: https://shopatcoloniecenter.com/events/the-giving-wall/

Doane Stuart School

Doane Stuart’s nonprofit mission is to educate students from every economic quarter. In a college preparatory context, where the joy of discovery is valued, Doane Stuart emphasizes serious study and educates to social responsibility. This Interfaith school emphasizes community service to help students understand more about the world around them, and more about themselves and their place in the world. The hope is that students will develop a habit of service to others that will become a permanent part of their lives. Each year the number of families applying for tuition aid increases. Please consider helping a student receive a Doane Stuart education.

DONATE HERE: https://www.doanestuart.org/support-us/givingtuesday/

Equinox, Inc.

Everyone knows about Albany Equinox’s Thanksgiving meal that prepares warm holiday meals for more than 10,000 community members around the Capital Region; but a lesser known fact is that Equinox is so much more than that. Equinox serves youth, adults and families whose lives have been impacted by domestic violence, drug and alcohol addictions, mental illness, homelessness, and the challenges of living amid poverty and violence. Their dedicated staff of 150 serves 5,200 people annually across 12 locations.

DONATE HERE: https://www.equinoxinc.org/page/giving-opportunities-53.html

Historic Deerfield

Historic Deerfield is a museum of early American life situated in an authentic 18th-century New England village in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts. These homes in this museum are largely standing where they stood in the 1700s. And just as they continue to weather the storms of Mother Nature, so the museum is adapting to changing times. Its historic houses and world-famous collection of early American decorative arts open doors to new perspectives that inspire people to seek a deeper understanding of themselves, their communities, and the world. Donations support the preservation of the historic houses, the collections of antique furniture and art, and the scholarships and educational programming.

DONATE HERE: https://www.historic-deerfield.org/why-give

Kitten Angels

Kitten Angels is a non-profit organization, located in the Capital District of New York State, dedicated to the rescue of abandoned & orphaned kittens, pregnant cats, mama cats & their kittens through foster care. So many kittens are in need of a loving home, but won’t make it there unless foster parents help them survive. Many fosters provide food and medical care out of their own pockets. Author confession, two of my three felines were adopted through Kitten Angels, and I can’t imagine them living anywhere else.

DONATE HERE: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=GCS8S8UJGNRHC

McNulty Veterans Business Center

The McNulty Veterans Business Center, out of the Watervliet Arsenal is a resource for Veterans looking to use business as a way to transition from military life. They offer a number of services to help guide veterans down the path of success to eventually open their own doors. This year, the Business Center is partnering with Constant Contact, a nationwide automated email service, to MATCH dollar for dollar donations. And anyone who donates $30 or more, will receive a $30 gift card for Constant Contact services–so they’re giving back too!

DONATE HERE: http://www.mcnultycenter.org/giving/#donate

I feel that it is important to note that sometimes if you don’t even have just those five dollars to share, that donating your time to a worthy cause can be just as impactful. The spirit of Giving Tuesday is to help share that American Spirit of generosity, not just on one day, but all year ‘round.