Nearly two million nonprofit organizations operate in the U.S., a landscape so vast it can make giving feel overwhelming rather than meaningful. But if you ask the right questions, you can find the organizations that best align with who you are and the change you hope to see.
We asked several NCF leaders who regularly walk alongside givers how they approach this kind of discernment, and we discovered seven ways effective givers discern where to give.
But, before you can narrow down the multitude of organizations, it’s helpful to pinpoint the causes you feel led to support. Jeff Carver, President of NCF Twin Cities begins with two thought exercises:
- What breaks your heart?
- What are you grateful for?
The first prompts you to think about the causes that stir you – the injustices or challenges that feel most critical to you. The second invites you to reflect on meaningful ways others have helped you or those you love. Spending time answering these two questions can help you highlight the causes – and even areas within those causes – you’re called to engage with.
But within any cause, there are often hundreds, even thousands, of organizations doing good work. So once you’ve identified the causes you care about, another question remains: Which organizations within those causes are the right fit for you?
Here are seven ways to move from a cause you care about to an organization you can support with confidence.
1. Get specific about the kind of change you want to see
Knowing the cause(s) you want to support is a strong starting point. Causes like medical research, church planting, or education are broad categories. Within each one, organizations are doing very different kinds of work. Some focus on direct relief. Others pursue systemic change. Some invest in research. Others provide hands-on care.
Connie Hougland, Vice President of Innovation and Charity Experience at NCF, encourages people to pause before choosing a charity and ask one clarifying question: What kind of change am I trying to catalyze?
“Giving isn’t just about funding a category; it’s about stewarding a calling,” Connie says.
If cancer has impacted your life, the change you’re hoping to catalyze through your giving might be breakthrough research, or it could be holistic care for the families of patients in treatment. If you care about education, the change you want to see might be better access to education for girls around the world, or you could be more focused on improving higher education in the U.S.
When you clarify the specific strategy you’re most drawn to, the field of potential organizations naturally narrows.
2. Let your story and your season guide your search
Your unique life experiences have prepared you for a specific kind of giving. Ryan Assunto, President of NCF Austin, has spent more than a decade walking with givers and families through granting decisions. He grounds this idea in Scripture.
Paul writes that God is “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3–4). And “God has done what he’s done in your life for a reason,” Ryan says. “The comfort he’s given you is something you can now offer others. Your story often points toward the causes you’re uniquely drawn to support.”
Similarly, it’s important to consider your current season of life. The way you engage in an organization may look different during different phases of life. A young family may be drawn to organizations they can engage with together, serving alongside their children. An empty nester may have more capacity to build relationships, volunteer, or get involved more personally.
The question isn’t just: Is this a good organization? It’s also: Is this the right partnership for this season of my life?
3. Look for trustworthy leadership
While financial reports and healthy track records matter, the givers who feel most confident in their giving will tell you that trust is built through relationships over time, not just analytics.
“Transformational giving flows from relational confidence,” Connie says. “Givers want to trust the leadership. They want to understand the theology. They want to see the fruit over time.”
Connie says one practical starting point is an organization’s “About” page. Are real people willing to put their names and faces behind the mission? Is the leadership visible, accessible, and clear about where the organization is headed?
If you’re considering getting deeply involved in their work, set up a conversation with the leader(s) of the organization. Pay attention not only to what they say but how they say it. Are they able to clearly and passionately articulate their vision? Do they have a thoughtful strategy for how they’re pursuing that vision? Can they speak honestly about the challenges they’re facing?
These kinds of conversations help you understand the character, conviction, and clarity of the people leading the work and whether this is the type of leadership you’d feel confident supporting and maybe even inviting others into.
4. Ask other givers
A generous community is a powerful resource. One of the benefits of NCF’s local teams is the opportunity to connect with other givers and learn from their experiences. That might mean connecting with people involved in local organizations or being introduced to givers in your area who are already engaged in the causes you care about. Seek the wisdom of people who share the same passions and have already walked the road ahead of you.
Richard Newton, NCF Carolinas Regional Director in Raleigh, sees this often. “The best giving is done collaboratively,” he says. “Getting in touch with other givers can be a really good way to find out who people are giving to and why.”
Giving circles, Generous Giving events, and even informal conversations with friends who share your faith and values can surface organizations you might never find through a search engine. When multiple people in your community are already supporting an organization, that’s a kind of relational vetting that no financial report can replace.
5. Look for organizations that work together
Some of the most effective work happening today is collaborative. Organizations like Achieve Alliance for church planting or Illuminations for Bible translation gather some of the sharpest minds in the field to accelerate the work together, rather than in silos.
When you see an organization willing to partner with others rather than go it alone, it often signals maturity, humility, and a focus on mission over territory. Collaborative movements reduce duplication and amplify impact, which means your gift can go further too.
6. Consider what kind of giver you are
Not every giver is wired the same way, and understanding your own temperament can help match you with the right organization.
Some givers want certainty. They want to fund something proven – a clear model with measurable results. Others want to help scale something that’s working in one community into new ones. And some have a higher risk tolerance. They want to invest in innovative approaches and new ideas, even knowing success isn’t guaranteed.
Jeff, who regularly works with givers at NCF Twin Cities on Giving Strategy, encourages people to think honestly about what kind of giver they are. “Understanding how you’re wired helps clarify the kinds of organizations you’re drawn to, whether that’s a smaller, more nimble organization or a larger, more established one.”
7. Start small and grow
You don’t need to go all in on day one. In fact, the wisest approach is often the most patient one.
“If you don’t have a relationship with an organization, start small and get to know them,” Jeff says. “Over time, increase your giving as you get to know the organization more closely and get to know their leadership.”
Visit if you can. Volunteer before you make a grant. “Give your time before you give your money,” Connie says. She recognizes time can be a more sacrificial gift for some, but it’s the gift that builds the relationship you need in order to give financially for years to come.
Discernment is an ongoing process
The organizations you support today may not be the ones you support five years from now, and that’s okay. As you grow and change, your giving often changes with you. New experiences, shifting responsibilities, deeper understanding, or even exposure to new needs can all reshape where and how you give. The causes you care about may remain consistent, but the way you express that care can change over time.
“Discernment isn’t static,” Connie says. “It grows as we grow.”
The goal isn’t a perfect list of organizations to support that you never revisit. It’s staying close enough to God’s leading that you can discern where to give by knowing the deeper question behind every gift: Where is he inviting me to join him?
