Supporting Non-Profits During December Days of Giving
Some of the most meaningful gifts cannot be wrapped. Consider supporting non-profits during December Days of Giving.
Tuesday, December 03 is Giving Tuesday, and the tenth annual Colorado Gives Day is on December 10.
December Days of Giving
Mark your calendars for those two upcoming opportunities of supporting non-profits that enhance the quality of your life, or represent your values. By becoming a member, donor, or volunteer, you can help improve the quality of life where you work, live, and play.
Giving Tuesday
The epitome of hashtag activism and noted for is community campaigns, Giving Tuesday was introduced in 2012 as a different, and more philanthropic approach to filling a virtual shopping cart.
Not sure where to start? IndyGive has an easily navigitable page that sorts participating non-profits into categories (e.g. youth, animals).
Exclusive of IndyGive, here are some organizations that are near and dear to our hearts at Engearment:
Access Fund
Are you willing to stand up for our climbing areas? Climbing advocates Access Fund has two goals: keeping climbing areas open, and conserving the climate environment. Specifically, protecting public lands, restoring climbing areas, replacing aging bolts, and buying threatened climbing areas.
Ending poverty with agriculture. Working with 21 countries around the world, Heifer International’s mission is to end hunger and poverty through support and investment in local farmers and their communities.
Explore.Learn.Conserve. A non-profit outdoor community of 14,000 members in the Pacific Northwest, The Mountaineers hosts hundreds of volunteer-led monthly courses and activities. For over 100 years, the Seattle-based organization has operated on the pillars of advocacy, stewardship, and education and introducing people to the outdoors as early and often as possible.
Let’s change the world. Two wheels at a time. Co-founded by Engearment’s own Erin Machan, Project Bike Love empowers women on a global level. By providing women in impoverished areas with bicycles, Project Bike recognizes the life-changing impact a bike offers women in both independence and mobility.
We all need winter. Under the direction of founder and professional snowboarder, Jeremy Jones, Protect Our Winters has grown into a global network of 130,000 climate advocates including pro athletes, individuals, resorts, and winter sports companies.
It we’re not being intentionally inclusive, than we’re being exclusive. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, SheJumps aims to increase the participation of women and girls in outdoor activities, and foster a connection with nature through free and low-cost outdoor education.
The Sierra Club
We fight for environmental and social justice. Founded by John Muir himself in 1892, The Sierra Club is THE original grassroots environmental organization in the country. If climate change, pollution, and stopping special interest groups undermining basic protections is your jam, this org needs your support.
Colorado Gives Day
From T-shirts to bumper stickers (we pretty much put our state flag on anything), Coloradoans share our state pride loud and proud.
Every year, we love to celebrate 303 Day (March 03) and Colorado Day (August 01). While Giving Tuesday typically falls on Tuesday after Thanksgiving (this year is December 03), leave it to us to create our own day of philanthropy. Here’s a list of Engearment’s favorite Centennial State non-profits (includinng ones with branch offices).
Freedom through Mobility. Founded in 1999 by two individuals with physical disabilities, this mobile program (its main office is located in Lakewood) provides progressive outdoor sports opportunities to improve quality of life for the physically disabled and their families. Programming in a variety of sports (cycling, climbing, kayaking, paddleboarding, skiing, waterskiing, wakeboarding, scuba, rafting, and dragon boat racing) offered free of charge or significantly subsidized. Internationally known adaptive climber Craig DeMartino is the climbing manager.
A nation transformed by youth and empowered by nature. Located in Golden, Big City Mountaineers serves underserved youth by introducing them to transformative wilderness mentoring experiences. Engaging about 7,000 youth per year, the program impressively maintains the original vision of 1:1 youth to adult ratio.
Stimulating public interest in our mountain area. Golden-based Colorado Mountain Club (CMC) was formed in 1912 and was instrumental in the creation of Rocky Mountain National Park. Offering approximately 3,000 volunteer-led conservation, educational, and recreational activities per year, the CMC serves as a proverbial gateway to the mountains for all experience levels.
Colorado Mountain Bike Association (COMBA)
Build. Advocate.Educate. The Colorado Mountain Bike Association is a community with a common goal: to make Front Range mountain biking world-class through trail building, community building, and partnerships. COMBA considers mountain biking more than a sport or a lifestyle, but as transformative cultural force.
Colorado Whitewater Association
Promoting and Paddling Conservation since 1954. Colorado Whitewater (CW) is an all-volunteer organization that promotes the sport of whitewater kayaking in the Rocky Mountain Region. With more than 500 active members, the CW promotes and teaches white water safety, instructs, and participates in river conservation and access issues. Additionally, CW supports racing and freestyle kayak competitions.
Friends of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC)
Spreading awareness and education. Friends of CAIC was created to support the efforts of CAIC by helping to spread safety awareness and educate the growing number of people enjoying the backcountry during months when avalanche danger is high.
Educate and Empower. Summit County-based Mountain Dreamers supports mountain immigrant communities (particularly young Dreamers and DACA recipients) and their families by advocating for their civil rights. Most notably, Mountain Dreamers has recently created a legal defense fund, begun a service program of bilingual activists to help them get state driver’s licenses and state-issued IDs, and started Family Leadership training so that families can learn how to advocate for themselves. Mountain Dreamer VP Javier Pineda’s bicycle ride last summer helped raise awareness to their cause, as did the 2019 documentary, The Quiet Force.
Finding mountain dogs mountain homes. Mountain Pet Rescue is a Colorado non-profit organization dedicated to finding forever homes for pets in need. They focus on active dogs that face euthanization or are considered unadoptable in other areas of the country, but are in high demand in Colorado’s mountain communities. Among the most current list of adoptable dogs are an Australian Cattle Dog, Border Collie, Australian Shepherd, and more.
The Nature Conservancy in Colorado
Conserving lands and waters on which all lives depend. For over 45 years, the Conservancy in Colorado has worked to protect the lands and waters that form the foundation of our state’s economy, recreational pursuits, and livelihoods. Over the years, the organization has protected more than 600,000 acres and 650 river miles dacross the state.
Special Olympics Colorado (SOCO)
Unleashing the human spirit through the transformative power of sports. Special Olympics Colorado provides more than 100 opportunities in 22 sports to train for, and participate in each year. Throughout the year, children and adults with intellectual disabilities are offered training and opportunities to develop physical fitness and courage.
Improving quality of life through bicycles. The mission for Wish for Wheels is simple; giving brand new bikes and helmets to second graders in low income communities. Founded in 2004, Wish for Wheels has as unique model that includes philanthropy, engagement through bike builds, and team building. Wish for Wheels has grown exponentially in recent years, and recently added Lance Armstrong to its Board of Directors.
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