I have a small house and simple tastes, except when it comes to technology (where stuff is exacting and expensive.) As such, it's been said that I'm difficult to shop for... that just getting me another Starbucks gift certificate isn't very fulfilling for the giver.
For several years now, I've included charities on my Amazon Wish List - for the gift-givers in my life, it gives you a way to honor me and do good at the same time. In 2018, I decided that I wanted to be thoughtful about the charities I focused and also give some more context about why I chose them and with my birthday fast approaching, I thought I'd make it an annual way to highlight a few charities I care about. I'm keeping the spotlight on the two I mentioned last year while adding a third. All are tax-deductible organization with 503(c) status.
Autism Society (autism-society.org)
The Autism Society works with local, state and federal lawmakers to make sure people on the Autism Spectrum and their families (and the challenges they face) are understood, represented and where necessary, protected, particularly in the areas of fair hiring practices. As the parent of a child on the Spectrum, I love to know there are people who have devoted their lives to fighting for my son in ways I can't.
Burbank Arts for All (burbankartsforall.org)
I believe arts are an important part of educational formation amongst children, but it is sadly something that gets cut when budgets get tight because it's harder to show the impacts, compared to subjects like reading or math. Beyond just the beauty and creativity we get to be immersed in, there are many studies that suggest arts education has benefits to those other subjects. BAFA supplements art education in our local school district. (I learned last week that our son's class was a beneficiary of a BAFA grant - parents at his school pay for a local dance studio to teach dance to all the students, a BAFA grant doubled the amount of time the studio spent working with my son and his classmates.)
Women of Email (womenofemail.org)
It's often said that Email Marketing isn't a field that anyone sets out to enter, but that it's a calling that one falls into, often accidentally. There are few (if any) formal education opportunities in the field. Often, we're left to our own defenses to figure out what we're doing and then keep up with what's changing. There are some great companies that help with ongoing education, but there are some companies that actively work against us (looking at you, Google and Microsoft) and it's often overshadowed by web development and not well-understood by companies, leading to challenges when it comes to recruiting or applying for positions. A few years ago, someone observed that while conference attendees seemed to be pretty evenly split, a majority of speakers at Email Marketing conferences were men. This profit was formed to raise the collective of profile of women in our industry and assist with everything from career growth to salary negotiations as well as making sure women are equipped and encouraged to "take to the stage."