Giving Internationally with a Grapevine Giving Circle

While many of our Giving Circles are focused on local causes, one of the questions that our Giving Circle members ask is whether or not they can give to an international organization through their Giving Circle. Especially when relief for natural disasters, war refugees, and more is needed, people want to get involved and help.

Through Grapevine, your Giving Circle can make a donation to any 501(c)(3) public charity in the United States. While your Giving Circle cannot directly make donations to international nonprofits, there are still ways to donate internationally through Grapevine.

The two options for giving internationally are giving to an American charity that does work overseas or going through an intermediary charity. There are plenty of American organizations that are doing international work, so with a bit of research, it can be simple to support causes overseas through these 501(c)(3) public charities. While researching American charities to see which ones give internationally is simple, using an intermediary charity may be a new concept.

What does it mean to go through an intermediary charity and how can your Giving Circle do it?

Intermediary charities are US 501(c)(3) public charities that send donations overseas for an additional fee. If you’d like the benefits of being part of a Grapevine Giving Circle but also want to be able to donate internationally, an intermediary charity could be an excellent option.

Key considerations when choosing an intermediary charity

1. Check to make sure that this intermediary charity will donate to the organization you have in mind, or works in the region where you’re hoping to send funds.
2. Compare and consider the intermediary charity fees as well as timing of your donation.
3. Specify your recommended use or organization for your donation when the donation is made.

Here are some intermediary charities that allow you to donate internationally.

CAF America

CAF America has been hard at work making international donations since 1992. Since then, they have granted more than $3 billion to different international charities. They can help you make donations to organizations in over 135 countries. CAF America will vet organizations that you would like to donate to if they are not one of the 380,000 organizations they have worked with already. This process takes 3-4 weeks.

Learn more about CAF America, their associated fees, and their contact information here.

GlobalGiving

GlobalGiving endeavors to help donors give to locally-run funds throughout the world, whether for disaster relief or regular giving. Since their start in 2002, they’ve moved more than $800 million to aid in relief efforts in over 175 countries. All of the charities that GlobalGiving supports have been carefully vetted to ensure that the organizations are in accordance with their local requirements and they are performing charitable work in a transparent manner.

Learn more about GlobalGiving, their associated fees, which relief causes are currently relevant, and their contact information here.

Ready to join a giving circle or start one of your own? Click below to get started on Grapevine and start giving to international causes you care about today!