How To Donate Safely This Winter

With the holiday season in full effect, people’s interest in giving back is beginning to increase. Donations are a great way to give back to the community. However, donors must be careful who they are choosing to donate too. There are many ways and services that can protect you and your money from being taken.

Anti-sexual violence organizations are great places to donate. The media has recently uncovered a mass amount of abuse happening in the United States and survivors need your help.

Tell tale signs and services you can use to stay safe:

Paying attention to payment method
Stay alert if donations are being requested in cash only or requiring your credit card number over the phone. Before giving any money contact the charity and find out what constitutes as a secure donation.

Proceeds
Take precaution if a charity claims all of the proceeds are going to victims and resources. All charities have administrative costs.

Non-cash donations
If you are still feeling unsure about a charity, making a material donation rather than a cash donation can be just as beneficial. Many charities seek food, clothing and toys.

GuideStar
GuideStar has records of 1.8 million nonprofits. Users are able to see a charity’s income, spending, mission and executive salaries. For those who more information can pay for premium services which include deeper financial analysis and access to a nonprofit’s contractor.

Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator gives user charity specific ratings. The site has evaluated 7,000 nonprofits. Based on a four star system, Charity Navigator analyzes the charity’s financial health, accountability, and transparency. In addition, there is an examination of how much of the charity’s income goes to programs as well as the percentage that goes to the administration and fundraising.

Charity Watch
Charity Watch offers advice, articles, ratings, and basic information to the public. Members are allowed more access to further information. This site also notifies users of instances of charity abuse.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/08/giving/how-to-choose-a-charity-wisely.html https://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-montali/how-to-tell-if-a-charity-_b_9806518.html

Want to help victims of sexual assault? Below are some credible organizations.

Turnaround
Turnaround’s mission is to build a community that is free of sexual violence. They offer many programs to help survivors heal and other educational programs for those unaware of the major issue. Ways your donation can help include helping a survivor of sex trafficking get home and just keeping the organization afloat. You can donate here. 

Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN)
RAINN is the working to end sexual violence and partners with 1,000 local organizations with the same mission. Together they hope to prevent sexual violence, support survivors and find justice. By donating to RAINN you are helping thousands of people affected by sexual violence. Out of every dollar, 93 cents will go towards programs and services. You can donate here. 

Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA)
MCASA’s mission is “…to help prevent sexual assault, advocate for accessible, compassionate care for survivors of sexual violence, and work to hold offenders accountable.” Originally forming after 13 Maryland crisis center’s came together, they now hold many high achievements, an incredible amount of crisis centers and multiple ways to get involved. Most MCASA donations go towards legal services for survivors and outreach programs. You can donate here.

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The Elite vs The Rest of Us

Day by day we hear of new allegations of sexual assault and or harassment. It is becoming more and more apparent that no one is safe from this issue. While media has done a wonderful job at highlighting the grotesque behaviors of many people within politics and the entertainment industry… what about everybody else?

The attention being brought to this issue has yet to trickle down to those who are not at the top. These powerful women can and should use their privilege to project how wide scale of a problem this is. The majority of people who are victims of sexual assault and or harassment do not have an influential position in society and need help. There must be a shift from the attention only being on the famous and work to include the mass amount of the general public who are victims as well.

The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) has complied some astounding statistics:

• Every 98 seconds an American is sexually assaulted
• On average, there are 321,500 victims (age 12 and older) of rape and sexual assault each year in the United States
• 1 in 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime
• Females ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault
• 82 percent of juvenile victims are female, 90 percent of adult rape victims are female
• Not only females are victims of rape, sexual assault or harassment

Source: RAINN

The Monument Quilt, displaying stories of sexual assault and abuse survivors, at Towson University.

This has and will be an ongoing issue for everyone. Where do our priories stand if we only nationally publicize this issue when it’s effecting powerful people? This is unjust for most of the female survivors in America.

Their are groups of females who are at a higher risk of experiencing sexual assault. Factors can be divided into individual, relationship, community and societal. The list below includes a few that fall within each category:

Individual
– Alcohol and drug use
– Exposure to sexually explicit media
– Early sexual initiation

Relationship
– Association with sexually aggressive, hyper masculine, and delinquent peers
– Childhood history of physical, sexual or emotional abuse
– Emotionally unsupportive family environment

Community
– Poverty
– General tolerance of sexual violence within the community
– Lack of institutional support from police and judicial system

Societal
– Societal norms that support male superiority and sexual entitlement
– Societal norms that maintain women’s inferiority and sexual submissiveness
– High levels of crime and other forms of violence

Source: CDC 

While everyone is at risk, these individuals and their potential danger should be prioritized when it comes to bringing attention to the matter. Many of these individuals may not know they are at a higher risk of being sexually assaulted. In addition, many of these females who have been brave and come forward with their stories stand muted compared to those who have unrightfully been deemed higher importance (America’s elite).

Everyone is important and every story of sexual assault should be treated the same. No one deserves to be sexually assaulted. Although, everyone deserves the same support.

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