Cause versus Charity: Make Sure You Know the Difference!

Through social media, we encounter an excess of causes.  When your friend on Facebook posts, “donate to this humanitarian aid fund because thousands of Syrian refugees are suffering,” it tugs at your heart strings and you undoubtedly want to give. But from that appeal, do you have any idea which organization your donation would go to or what they would be doing to help Syrian refugees?

Cause and charity are not one in the same. Cause refers to a narrowly defined area of charitable activity, such as the Syrian Crisis. Many charities are working to improve the conditions surrounding the Crisis, but are doing so in different ways. Oftentimes as donors, we’re so motivated by our passion behind a cause that we skip the most important step: seeing what the charity is doing.

Charities offer solutions to the issues that causes combat. After deciding to respond to a cause, don’t skip the step of finding a charity whose solution to the problem you are behind. Concerning the Syrian Crisis, there’s a variety of work being done by different organizations. The American Refugee Committee, for example, is focusing its efforts on making sure refugees have their basic needs, like shelter, access to clean water, and healthcare met. Islamic Relief USA runs numerous programs specifically aimed at helping Syria refugees, from providing psychosocial support to Syrian refugee children in Lebanon to providing medical care for Syrian refugees in Jordan. 

All of the above organizations are addressing the Syrian Crisis in important, vital ways. When deciding to give to this cause, or others, be sure to look into how specific charities are addressing the cause you want to support!

Check out our Syrian Crisis Hot Topic to learn more.