Charity Navigator, spearheaded by CEO Michael Thatcher, is the largest independent evaluator of nonprofits in the United States, providing free ratings for over 235,000 charities. The organization strives to simplify the giving process for donors, helping them make impactful donations aligned with their personal values.

The discussion also addresses how political events, such as elections, influence charitable donations. Specifically, during Donald Trump’s presidency, a significant surge in contributions was observed toward causes perceived as less supported by his administration. Such trends were labeled as "rage giving" or "trump bump," where people donate to support sectors like the environment, reproductive health, and civil liberties when election outcomes don’t align with their values.

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. evaluator [ɪˈvæljueɪtər] - (n.) - A person or organization that determines the significance, worth, or condition of something, often by careful appraisal and study. - Synonyms: (assessor, appraiser, examiner)

Charity Navigator is the nation's largest independent evaluator of nonprofits.

2. nonprofits [ˈnɔnˌprɒfɪts] - (n.) - Organizations that operate for purposes other than making a profit, often focusing on furthering a social cause or shared goal. - Synonyms: (charitable organizations, not-for-profit organizations, voluntary organizations)

We're a free service, free to the donors, free to the nonprofits that we evaluate.

3. intersection [ˌɪn.tərˈsek.ʃən] - (n.) - A point or line that common meets with other elements, representing a place where different concepts meet and influence each other. - Synonyms: (junction, meeting point, convergence)

So I'm excited to talk about the intersection between politics and giving.

4. reproductive health [ˌriprəˈdʌktɪv hɛlθ] - (n.) - A state of physical, mental, and social well-being in all matters relating to the reproductive system and its functions and processes. - Synonyms: (birth control, family planning, maternal health)

We've seen, for example, over a 2000% increase in traffic and donations to organizations in the area of reproductive health.

5. civil liberties [ˈsɪvəl ˈlɪbərtiz] - (n.) - The fundamental individual rights and freedoms that are protected by law against governmental or other interference. - Synonyms: (personal freedoms, constitutional rights, individual rights)

...a little over 1000% increase in traffic and donations to civil liberties organizations, and even higher in environmental defense areas.

6. trump bump [trʌmp bʌmp] - (n.) - An increase in charitable donations or support for particular causes motivated by opposition to Donald Trump's policies or actions. - Synonyms: (donation surge, political philanthropy, activist funding)

There's rage giving, I think another word we've heard is the trump bump, which is there's a bump in giving to specific areas of the sector.

7. knee-jerk reaction [ni-dʒɜːrk riˈækʃən] - (n.) - An immediate and emotional response to a situation without careful thought or analysis. - Synonyms: (impulsive reaction, hasty response, reflex action)

Is rage giving, do you think a sort of knee jerk reaction where this will die down?

8. reflective [rɪˈflɛktɪv] - (adj.) - Characterized by careful thought about possible courses of action or implications of one's choices. - Synonyms: (thoughtful, contemplative, introspective)

It's a great question. And I think the ultimately, there are a couple of steps that you want to go through in your giving process. One, sort of deeply personal, deeply reflective, what do I care about?

9. accountability [əˌkaʊntəˈbɪlɪti] - (n.) - The obligation of an individual or organization to provide a clearer explanation or justification for its actions, particularly to those affected by or overseeing them. - Synonyms: (responsibility, answerability, liability)

We look at their financials and their accountability structures.

10. recurrence [rɪˈkɜːrəns] - (n.) - The process or fact of occurring again, repeatedly or periodically over time. - Synonyms: (repetition, reoccurrence, reiteration)

If you feel that you don't have enough to give as a one time shot, try making a recurring gift.

Here's Why Some People Are 'Rage Giving' To Certain Causes After The Election

Hi, everybody. I'm Brittany Lewis, a breaking news reporter here at Forbes. Joining me now is Michael Thatcher, CEO and president of Charity Navigator. Michael, thank you so much for joining me again. Oh, Brittany, I'm glad to be here. We are glad to have you. But before we dive into the conversation, can you just explain what does Charity Navigator do? Sure. Charity Navigator is the nation's largest independent evaluator of nonprofits. We're a free service, free to the donors, free to the nonprofits that we evaluate, and we provide ratings and information on over, I GUESS we're at 235,000 nonprofits that we have ratings on. We also have lists. We help people, really. We're here to make impactful giving easier for everyone. And we're creating different ways to simplify your process to really get to the charities you want to support or make an impact with your gift.

Michael, 95% of my job, I cover politics. So I'm excited to talk about the intersection between politics and giving. Last month, as you know, we had an election. Donald Trump did win his second term in the White House. So I want to talk about the impact of politics on giving. Do election results matter when it comes to charity giving? The election results definitely matter. There are kind of two phases of it. One, giving shifts going into the elections. People are sometimes giving more to political campaigns, and then they'll switch back to actually getting to the nonprofits that they choose to support in this case. And it's quite similar to what happened in 2016. There has been a reaction to the election results. You have an increase in giving to areas that people feel may not be as well served within the new regime. So areas like the environment, reproductive health, civil liberties, immigration.

These are all areas where on Charity Navigator, we've seen, for example, over a 2000% increase in traffic and donations to organizations in the area of reproductive health, a little over 1000% increase in traffic and donations to civil liberties organizations, and even higher in environmental defense areas. I know that you said this isn't completely unprecedented. You saw something similar in 2016. But is this type of spike in giving unique to Donald Trump specifically? Did you see this, let's say, in 2008? Did you see this in 2020 when Biden won election? Then? I would say it's more pronounced today, particularly this is the second Trump presidency. So people have an awareness of what came in the past. It's more marked than in, let's say, the Biden presidency. There's a shift because there's a feeling that certain areas will be less well served. And so people are compensating.

I know that charity navigator used this term in Trump's first term. The term is rage giving. Can you explain exactly what that is? And if you're seeing that now there's rage giving, I think another word we've heard is the trump bump, which is there's a bump in giving to specific areas of the sector. A lot of times people want to, people want to take action. And let's say you're not happy with the election results and you're really interested in, well, how can I really make a difference or ensure that something I care about is still supported? Supporting nonprofits that actually focus on that are a way of doing that. And so you could call it rage giving, but you could also look at it in the sense of really putting your money where your values are and then supporting that, because that's the beauty of the United States and the nonprofit sector that we have, is that you're able to support all sides of all arguments within the legal construct of the 501 nonprofit.

Is rage giving, do you think a sort of knee jerk reaction where this will die down, the giving will, you'll see less giving when Donald Trump is in office, maybe a month or two months after the 100 days when it's not so fresh in people's minds. You know, there's giving does tend to follow the news cycle and what's happening, like real time, what's happening in the world. So there will be a decline, but I also think it will depend on how things go over the next year. We saw a very specific spike. We tracked the first hundred days of every presidency and we sort of look at where is there shifts in giving. I think this year it'll probably, or let's say 20, 25, it should be the same. There'll be a pullback. But then as policies change, people care about things. For example, they care about the environment. They're going to keep giving to the environment. I don't think that will change.

I want to talk about giving Tuesday in particular. What do you expect to see on this day and the season of giving as we are entering the holiday season? Do you expect to see this specific spike in environment groups, reproductive rights groups? Are you expecting it to see, do you know, to see it equally given or equally doled out? I think so. A couple of things. One, there's been over the last few years, there's been a decline in giving from everyday, everyday givers. And that is sort of the average American public has been giving less, households have been giving and they've been giving a little bit less. And a lot of that has been due to either political uncertainty, economic uncertainty, a decline in trust to institutions.

And so one of the things we're hoping for actually this year with Giving Tuesday is to see that that decline is actually going to be challenged. Right. And we're going to reverse the trend. There has been a spike in giving since the election. We're expecting that to continue, expecting that to continue significantly in the areas that are, let's say, driven by the election results. But we're also expecting to see just a general rising of awareness and the tide towards giving. There is more strength right now economically than there has been, particularly compared to last year. You know, and so from that standpoint, I think there's people have a desire to give, there's a motivation that is both political and otherwise. And then the real beauty of Giving Tuesday and the giving season is that it's a time where people reflect about their own core values and they give to those areas. So what we've noticed is that giving is not an either or. I may be giving because I'm politically motivated, but I'm also going to keep supporting the causes I care about. And so I would say we should see a general increase in giving this year at Giving Tuesday. At least that's the projections that we're seeing based on our traffic right now.

What is the best practice when it comes to giving? How do you know which charity in particular will make the most out of your donation? When you're looking at your core values and seeing what charity aligns with those the most, it's a great question. And I think the ultimately, there are a couple of steps that you want to go through in your giving process. One, sort of deeply personal, deeply reflective, what do I care about? Then get a little bit as specific as you can in the causes and the areas that you care about. Then when you find an organization that is actually addressing that one, does their mission align with your mission? Do the results that they articulate actually map to that? And then are they a well run organization?

And at Charity Navigator, what we're trying to do is make that process simpler through our rating system. So we're looking at strong leadership and adaptability skills. We're looking at impact and results. You want to know they're making a difference in the work that they're doing. We look at their financials and their accountability structures. Are they well governed? Do they have an independent board of directors? These things really matter. And then how are they connecting with those people that they're served through what we're calling culture and community. All of these things are rolled into what goes into a zero to four star rating to really help you make an easier and quicker decision.

Michael, we're coming off of Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday. Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday. What's your number one piece of advice for those who want to participate in Giving Tuesday? I would say get out there and give and engage in the process. Giving is a wonderful, it's a wonderful experience. It's also a muscle, right? And so you have to exercise the muscle. Don't give till it hurts, give till it feels good. Give with your heart, but then think about where you're giving. Use your head. And again, ratings can help with that. Charity Navigator is designed to make that easier for you and then give within your means. One piece of advice I'd make is if you feel that you don't have enough to give as a one time shot, try making a recurring gift. A recurring gift allows you to sign up for a small amount off your credit card on a monthly basis. And that goes to the organizations that gives them something that they can count on 12 months out of the year. And that's super useful.

Michael Thatcher, thank you so much for joining me. Very important conversation, very timely conversation. You're welcome back anytime. I'm delighted and happy. Giving Tuesday.

CHARITY NAVIGATOR, POLITICS, DONATION TRENDS, IMPACTFUL GIVING, INSPIRATION, PHILOSOPHY, FORBES