#GivingTuesday: A Look at My Post-Election Donation Plans

When I left for Peru, I knew I was likely to get questions from locals about the recent U.S. presidential elections. I was already planning to make donations to a few progressive organizations in the wake of the results, but as I headed abroad, I promised myself I'd donate to a different progressive organization in honor of each Peruvian who asked me how I felt about having Donald Trump as president (I still can barely write that).

On #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving, I wanted to share with you the donations I'll be making & the people whose stories inspired them. 

For Victor, the friendly, outdoorsy tour guide who led us up Machu Picchu, one of the seven wonders of the world, I'll be donating to EarthJustice.

For Nadia, the Cusco-born tour guide & mother of two who's looking for a job that will let her spend more time with her family, I'll be donating to EMILY's List.

For Joaquin, the twentysomething Mexican immigrant who's now an American citizen living in San Diego, I'll be donating to the Immigrant Legal Resource Society.

For Joaquin's mom, who lives in Mexico & worries that a border wall would impact her ability to travel for work, even on her legal worker visa, I'll be donating to Border Angels.

For the Frenchman whose name I didn't catch, who is scared for his daughter living in Florida & who, separately, insisted that American food is disgusting, I'll be donating to Feeding America.

For Francesca, my brother's 8-year-old niece who is now afraid to visit Disney World after learning of a hate crime against a Latino American man, I'll be donating to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

For Belein & Pablo, the psychiatrist & her boyfriend who sat next to us at the wedding, I'll be donating to the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI).

And finally, I plan to donate to Planned Parenthood on a regular basis, with others rotating dependent on current events & my liberal whims.

Am I rich? No, not at all. Some of these donations may be as small as $10, & they won't all come out of my wallet on the same day. But I'm committed to making sure I do my financial part, no matter how small, to contribute to the ongoing strength & success of progressive organizations doing important on-the-ground work, especially in the scary era of President Donald Trump.

If you're looking for an organization to support, check out Jezebel's incomplete but very worthwhile "A  List of Pro-Women, Pro-Immigrant, Pro-Earth, Anti-Bigotry Organizations That Need Your Support."

What organizations get your hard-earned dollars? Did you make any special donations for #GivingTuesday... or in the wake of the election results?