10 Nonprofits to Support on Giving Tuesday and Every Day

Each year,

Thanksgiving kicks off a series of shopping-related holidays like

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and

Cyber Monday. One that doesn’t get mentioned nearly as often? Giving Tuesday.

Giving Tuesday is a day for us to

give back to our communities however we can and support those who need it most. Many people give monetarily for Giving Tuesday, but others donate their time, canned goods, or gently-used clothing.

Here are some of our favorite nonprofits to support on Giving Tuesday and every day.

PHOTO: TON KOENE/COURTESY OF MSF

Doctors Without Borders is an international humanitarian non-governmental organization that does incredible work and provides emergency medical care in the most dangerous places around the world, such as conflict zones and in countries affected by endemic diseases.

PHOTO: HUMANE SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL

If you’re an animal lover, giving to a charity that helps save pets and animals around the world is important. Humane Society International regularly rescues animals and shares stories of their journey across social media.

PHOTO: GIVE DIRECTLY

GiveDirectly is the first—and largest—nonprofit that lets donors send money directly to the world’s poorest. GiveDirectly’s belief is that people living in poverty deserve the dignity to choose for themselves how best to improve their lives—cash enables that choice. They currently work in eight different countries, including the United States.

PHOTO: WORLD WILDLIFE FUND

The World Wildlife Fund focuses on wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment, globally. Their "

adopt a (symbolic) animal" program is the cutest idea for a gift that gives back while being a fun physical item to put in someone’s stocking.

PHOTO: GRAMEEN FOUNDATION

You might already be an admirer of Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank, the father of microfinance, and Nobel Peace Laureate. Microfinance is a great tool for fighting global poverty and Grameen Foundation has always been at the forefront of this issue.

If you’ve ever googled "

clean beauty," you’re benefiting from the stellar work Environmental Working Group has done to demystify toxic ingredients. They’ve classified thousands of products, making it easier to choose planet-friendly options.

PHOTO: WATER.ORG

Water.org is a wonderful organization (founded by none other than Matt Damon!) that works to bring water and sanitation to the world. The global water crisis is a real thing—even today. They provide affordable financing, such as small loans, for water and sanitation projects to communities around the world.

Protecting habitats for animals (and people) across the globe is important to keep biodiversity levels high and to fight

climate change. The Nature Conservancy has protected 125 million acres of land and thousands of miles of rivers worldwide.

PHOTO: OXFAM

Oxfam is one of the best-known and oldest international NGOs. Founded in 1942, it's now a confederation of 20 independent charitable organizations that work with local grassroots organizations to provide effective and region-specific solutions to poverty around the globe.

PHOTO: SHE'S THE FIRST

She's the First teams up with grassroots organizations to ensure girls all over the world are educated, respected, and heard. The nonprofit impacts 41,500 girls every year through its trainings and partner programs.