Donate to Your Favorite Cause on Georgia Gives Day

On Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2013, the second Georgia Gives Day will take place, and you can participate online by donating to a local organization or by supporting your favorite cause. 

As they did in 2012, the Georgia Center for Nonprofits (GCN) has made finding a charity or cause and then donating easy at www.gagivesday.org, where you'll find an option to search for organizations by zip code or county and by keyword or name.

The inaugural Georgia Gives Day in December 2012 raised more than $900,000 from more than 7,700 individual donors. This year, organizers at GCN hope to draw more than 10,000 individual donations in a "flash mob day of giving."

-- What charities or causes are you are supporting on Georgia Gives Day 2013? Tell us in the comments section below. --

In the wake of government cuts and mounting competition for grants, nonprofits are relying more than ever on individual donors to fund the services they provide. According to Giving USA, an annual report on nonprofit charitable giving from the Giving USA Foundation, individual donors accounted for 72 percent of all funds raised in 2012.

The mode of those individual donations is moving rapidly from mail-in and phone pledges to online contributions. In 2012, Georgia saw more than $17.6 million donated electronically, according to data from The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

You can also choose from one of the categories below to find a charity to which you would like to give. 

• Animals — Charities that promote better qualitiy of life for animals through wildlife protection and welfare services, animal/veterinary services, zoos and aquariums
• Arts, Culture and Humanities — Charities that benefit the visual arts, libraries, museums, performing arts and public broadcasting
• Children and Youth — Charities that help children and youth through mentoring, scouting organizations, mentoring, adoption services and youth development programs
• Community Building and Social Action — Charities that concentrate on community and neighborhood development, volunteerism, voter education and registration, civil rights and advocacy
• Economic Development — Charities that assist with financial wellness, employment, job training and preparedness, microfinance and rural and urban development
• Education — Charities that represent education including primary schools, colleges and universities, vocational and technical schools, libraries and adult education
• Environment — Charities that help preserve our natural environment including pollution abatement and control, conservation and protection, environmental beautification and education
• Health — Charities that further the medical community and public health issues through hospitals, physical and mental health support, disease prevention and management, medical research and nursing
• Human Services and Aid — Charities that focus on financial wellness, disaster relief, family services, homelessness, hunger, public safety and crime prevention.
• International, Foreign Affairs, and National Sec — Charities who work with causes including international development, human rights, peace and security, affairs and foreign policy
• Religion — Charities involving, supported by or inspired by religion and faith
• Science and Technology — Charities that focus on physical and earth sciences, engineering and technology, and biological and life sciences