When international emergencies emerge, it is common to experience anxiety and grief. From natural disasters and hunger to education inequality and the fight for human rights, it all becomes overwhelming. Many of us are not aware of the ways to help, or even which cause we should give our support.  

Thankfully, there are already lots of charities responding to these crises and enacting lasting change! With first responders supporting communities after disasters, services empowering economic development, health care workers administering lifesaving medicine, and more, hope can be found in the determination of global champions everywhere.  

For these charities to continue and expand their lifechanging efforts, they need your support. By donating to our partners, you are choosing to respond to these compelling global causes. Plus, you can double or even triple your impact when you give through the workplace through matching donations and volunteer hours.  

When you donate internationally, your dollar makes a greater impact. In a developing country, a small donation of a few dollars can support a larger number of people for an extended span of time. And with global economies increasingly interconnected, a donation to global causes reverberates in communities across the world. 

To make the first step simple, you can take a look at the top global cause areas below, matched up with leading international charities that are part of our Charity Alliance. Whether you’ve come with direction, or need a bit of guidance, the following article will help you find a charity to give to this year. With this information all in one place, you’ll know where to find reputable charities working on each cause.  

Below you can find a list of top global causes to support. Each is a complex challenge, but if confronted, can lead to healing and hope in every corner of the world.  

Our top global causes to donate to: 

Clean Water
1 in 4 people globally don’t have access to safe water. Without the critical necessities of hydration and sanitation, populations experience poverty and deadly illnesses. Hours of their day must be spent walking to and from water sources, keeping them from work and economic development. Our charities tackle this issue by delivering clean water, sanitation supplies, and the education needed to upkeep this infrastructure for generations to come. Your donations to this cause will have a direct impact on helping extend longer, happier, and healthier lives to those in need.  

Climate Resilience
From droughts to flooding to downed electric grids, over 3.3 billion people around the world are experiencing the realities of climate change. Forty percent of our world’s population is considered highly vulnerable to these conditions as they experience increasingly detrimental disasters and rely heavily on natural resources. Economies are disabled by decreased productivity and conflict when social structures collapse. These struggles disproportionately hit communities with the least responsibility for climate change. Our partners work locally to ensure communities are resilient to the effects of climate change and globally by producing government solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  

Disaster Relief
It doesn’t take much more than turning on your TV or opening the news to see the millions of people affected by disaster every year. From flooding in Libya to fires in Hawaii, disasters are unpredictable and indiscriminate. In areas of the world without the capacity to respond, the effects of these events linger and affect a greater proportion of lives. When a disaster strikes, our charities respond both domestically and internationally to provide medical care, rebuild infrastructure, and help with long-term recovery. By working with local governments, our partners allow each donation to make the biggest impact possible. Don’t wait until there is a disaster to donate. Support our charities now and they can respond to these emergencies quicker, saving more lives.  

Economic Development
People living in poverty struggle to access food, education, medicine, and more. Globally, over 712 million people are in extreme poverty — living on less than $2.15 a day. Our charities provide financial assistance that allows those affected to develop their own way out of poverty while still prioritizing equality and sustainability goals. By empowering the underserved with knowledge and financial resources to cultivate their businesses and careers, our partners are developing long-lasting change. A donation focused on economic development supplies funding, education, and transportation that supports someone and their family in financial growth for generations to come.    

Education
Around the world, there are 250 million out-of-school children and 70% of 10-year-old children in low- and middle-income countries struggle understanding simple written text. These numbers have increased dramatically since the pandemic. When you donate to our charities, you’re helping to push through the stagnation of educational progress. From supplying curriculum and bikes to ride to school to advocating for girls’ rights to education, our charity partners are working toward a sustainable future where all children can learn and pursue their dreams.  

Global Health
Every person on this planet deserves quality health and wellbeing. Unfortunately, in many cases critical health needs are not being met. Challenges like food insecurity, disease, and knowledge gaps perpetuate poverty. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has become more aware of the struggles in reaching all that require help, but there is still work to do. Infectious diseases are responsible for more than 9 million deaths a year and 1.5 million die each year from vaccine-preventable diseases.  Fortunately, our partners are working toward medical access globally. By restoring medical supplies, administering vaccines, and training doctors and midwives, they consistently fight against preventable illnesses and in doing so, save lives.  

Human Trafficking 
The second largest criminal enterprise globally is human trafficking. 152 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 have been subjected to child labor. Right now, there are 50 million people enslaved. It can be a difficult topic to discuss or even think about, and yet current and former victims need our help. They need our aid in rehabilitation after what they have been through and require assistance advocating against trafficking. To free and protect these populations, local justice systems must be trained in how to hold these criminals accountable. Our charity partners do just that. They work not only toward recovery, but toward justice. 

Hunger
Developing countries hold the majority of the 783 million people that go hungry. Though there is plenty of food in the world to feed these populations, conflict, climate warming, and inequality are keeping these resources from the people who need them most. As we’re sure you can tell by now, these causes are intersectional: a lack of nutrients not only leads to hunger but also withholds communities from proper education and economic development. Our partners bring food to millions of people and will continue to eradicate food insecurity with your help.  

Refugees
114 million. That is the number of people who have been displaced and forced to flee their homes from countries like Ukraine, Syria, Gaza, and more. The amount of displaced people today is the highest ever experienced.  When leaving home, these people forgo access to necessities and often lose contact with their families. To empower victims of conflict and natural disaster, charities need your help to support family reunification, health centers, and transportation services. Crises tear families into pieces, but you can be a part of what puts them back together.  

Social Justice
There have been strides in social justice around the world, but there are still serious biases when it comes to gender, race, and sexuality. Two-thirds of young people of color feel that discrimination is a burden in their everyday lives. There are still 64 countries that criminalize same-sex sexual activity. 

When there are exclusions based on bias, inequality is further perpetuated. Our charity partners run programs that educate, represent, and support human rights. History has proven that advocacy and action facilitate change. A donation to social justice is a donation to the empowerment of equality, advocacy, and protection for all. 

Women and Girls
342 million women are projected to be living in extreme poverty in 2030. In developing countries, barriers to education, resources, and social capital are more intensely felt. Deep-rooted stereotyping withholds women from equal access to resources and education. They are threatened by lack of medical care in pregnancy and birth, violence, and unequal pay. Investing in women’s empowerment benefits families and benefits all. Advocating for equality will reduce poverty and create a more sustainable economy. Our charity partners go beyond supplying care by training and inspiring change makers at the local level.  

Still can’t choose what cause you want to contribute to? Take our Inner Global Champion Quiz!