A new online initiative has been launched to make the positive commandment of charitable giving easier and more accessible. Titled Daily Giving, it was inspired by a well-known Jewish principle that one should endeavor to give charity at least once a day.
DailyGiving.org’s design is intended to allow people worldwide to easily and automatically donate at least $1 every day, allocating the money to one of a variety of charities chosen by the website’s advisory committee.
“Many of us want to be sure that we are fulfilling the mitzvah of tzedakahevery day, but it either slips our minds or we aren’t in a place to give,” he says. “This concept was to make it easy, while having the full assurance that our donations will be going to a reputable and worthy cause.”
After some initial research, Donath discovered that no such platform existed within the Jewish world, so he and a team of friends and developers began to work on a website that would make it easy to give.
“Our main goal is to help more people to take part in this mitzvah and show them that while they are giving something as small as a single dollar, the impact that dollar has when combined with thousands of others can make a tremendous difference to a charity,” says Donath.
Organizations and charities added to the calendar of daily donations consist of those based in the United States and Israel, including names like HASC, OHEL, United Hatzalah, NCSY, YACHAD, Chai Lifeline, RCCS (Rofeh Cholim Cancer Society), Sharsheret, Pantry Packers and many others. Additional charities will be added in the coming months.
Within days of the site’s launch on Jan. 1, the nonprofit has raised more than $30,000, with every indication that the number will continue to rise.
“We are very confident that this is an idea that the Jewish world will get behind,” says Donath, “and we are hopeful that soon we will be able to report that we are distributing thousands of dollars of charity a day.”