🏁 Axios Finish Line: You’re generous

How to help Ukrainians | Tuesday, March 08, 2022

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Emergent BioSolutions   Axios Finish Line By Mike Allen, Erica Pandey and Jim VandeHei ·Mar 08, 2022 Welcome back! Wow. We're humbled by the many hundreds of you who wrote us last night with ideas and questions. Inspiring. We'll answer a bunch in the coming weeks. Keep 'em coming … Smart Brevity™ count: 491 words ... 2 minutes.     1 big thing: America the generous Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios   Here's a stat to savor: America was the world's most generous country this past decade, according to the Charities Aid Foundation's World Giving Index, which surveyed 1.3 million people in 125 countries. Not only do we give money, but 72% of Americans help strangers. 42% of us volunteer. We grew more generous during the pandemic: 2020 and 2021 donations each topped 2019. Why it matters: This cuts across religion, region and age, with nearly 60% of Americans giving money last year. Average donation: $574. 🎂 A hot trend: There's a big surge in people setting up Facebook and TikTok fundraisers in lieu of birthday presents. You might roll your eyes at the exhibitionist dimension of public giving ... but it beats the alternative. Facebook says birthday fundraisers bring in hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Top beneficiaries include St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the Alzheimer's Association, the American Cancer Society and No Kid Hungry. Try it. 🏠 An even newer, real-time wave to surf: Booking an Airbnb stay in Ukraine — not to visit but as a way to send money to a family in need. Last week, 61,000 nights were booked at Airbnbs in Kyiv and other cities — 34,000 of them by Americans. Try it. 🧠 Tip to go: Be careful when giving. These four sites, all recommended by the Federal Trade Commission, let you verify whether a charity is reputable:  BBB Wise Giving Alliance. Charity Navigator. CharityWatch. Candid. And remember, if you want a deduction, you can make sure the charity qualifies by hitting the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Share this story.     A message from Emergent BioSolutions We Go to create a world that's prepared and protected     Emergent maintains a critical role in the ongoing opioid crisis. We're developing emergency rescue medications that can help reverse an opioid overdose. It's just one of the ways we defend people from things we hope will never happen. Learn more about Emergent's protections.     🇺🇦 Helping Ukraine 💭 "I would love to know the top 3 or 5 ways that I can help Ukraine besides donating money to charity," Stephanie Worthington, a Finish Line reader and tech marketer in Shingle Springs, California, emailed last night. "I've given to charity, but there must be more ways to help that I just don't know about." Here ya go: Give critical supplies: Meest, a Ukrainian logistics company with warehouses in several states, is accepting humanitarian aid packages for Ukraine. The urgent need is for medical and tactical supplies, including backpacks, Tylenol and bandages. Here's how to drop off or ship packages to a Meest warehouse. Give your time: You can sign up to volunteer with Nova Ukraine, and help organize fundraisers and spread awareness. Attend a peaceful protest: Here's a live log of upcoming demonstrations, including events all over the U.S. (h/t The Guardian) Support on-the-ground journalism: The Kyiv Independent, an English language news site that has been reporting the facts in real time, is raising money via GoFundMe. Share this story.   Thanks for reading. Please invite your friends to sign up here. Like this email style and format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 200 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: