You Can Financially Support BLM Even If You Can't Donate Money

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There are many, many ways to financially support the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, including donating directly, supporting individuals doing the work, and financially supporting the families of victims of racially motivated violence. There is also plenty of information online about how to further the movement in general (and advocates are starting to see real change). But what if you want to help but can't protest or donate money right now? Thankfully, there are a number of alternatives available, from donating your points to signing petitions. There's always a way to help—you just have to be willing to support the cause with your time and energy.

Support Black creatives, activists, and causes with visibility and amplification.

One of the aspects of being an ally/co-conspirator against racism is education and support. This is also a way to support the BLM movement financially, either directly or indirectly.

Can you rent or ask for anti-racist works to be given to you? Can you share articles or resources by Black writers with your personal and professional network? Can you follow anti-racist causes, like the revival of antislavery newspaper The Emancipator, by promoting and following along? More generally, can you share links and amplify causes with your personal and professional network—encouraging others to donate and subscribe?
Can you support or otherwise promote the work of Black artists? Can you go to an art exhibit when it's available? Can you attend a talk and encourage friends to show up too? Can you take the time to watch movies and TV shows written by Black directors and starring Black actors? Showing that a particular work of art is popular and that you like it is critically important in indicating you want more of the same.
Can you deepen your anti-racism network by following relevant people, organizations, and causes? From your state representatives to anti-racist social media accounts, can you show your support by following, liking, sharing, and actively contributing to positive dialogue? Can you volunteer time, energy, and expertise—including getting the word out to help nonprofits raise money?

It's also worth noting that it doesn't necessarily have to be with well-known causes. You can help in your everyday professional life, too. Can you help bring diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to your workplace or serve as a mentor to help others be paid more or gain more work opportunities? Can you contribute to the work of anti-racism through time, energy, and discussion?

Donate your travel points or cash back.

The full article with instructions is here, but there are a few ways that you can dedicate points or credit to relevant causes right now:

AmEx JustGiving lets you choose to donate points via eligible cards to causes that include Black Lives Matter, chapters of the ACLU, the NAACP, the Innocence Project, and many more.
Hilton has partnered with PointWorthy so you can donate your points, too. Go to the Hilton Honors portal and click on the Donate With Points button. Causes include the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund.
On many credit cards, you can redeem points for cash back (which appears as a credit)—and then you can take the amount and donate it wherever you like.

Sign petitions for important causes.

On Change.org, when you sign one of these petitions, it asks for a super-small donation (think: $3) to help push the movement forward. Or, if you'd prefer, you can amplify the message on social media instead, encouraging others to donate and thus contributing to the cause indirectly.

Here are just a few of the worthy petitions to sign. (There's debate about the efficacy of donating to Change.org petitions versus donating to GoFundMes for families, but signing centralized and organized petitions shows the immense amount of public support for the issue.)

Justice for Ma’khia Bryant

Justice for Daunte Wright (there's also a GoFundMe)

Free Greg Mingo

Justice for Ahmaud Arbery

Justice for Jacob Blake

Justice for Casey Goodson

Justice for Breonna Taylor (now focused on passing federal legislation)

There are many more, so look out for causes that speak to you. The Black Lives Matter carrd has been updated with links.

Set up a fundraiser of your own on Facebook or GoFundMe.

This one's probably the most time-intensive (and you'll want to educate yourself about picking the most appropriate cause), but Facebook allows you to set up a simple fundraiser that donates directly to a nonprofit. You'd set it up in the same way you'd set up a regular post: Click on the pencil icon to create a post from your page, click the three dots, then click Raise Money. You then select a nonprofit to support and go from there.

If you're not using Facebook, GoFundMe will let you set up a donation page on behalf of others. The same idea applies here, however: You'd want to do your homework, see what else is out there, and assess your network to maximize the chances your page will be successful. There are also virtual fundraising ideas gaining popularity—so if you belong to a volunteer organization, club, nonprofit, or even a cause-focused workplace, this could be an opportunity to sync resources.

If none of these options are available to you and you still want to help, brainstorm with friends and colleagues. How else can you help raise visibility and contribute?

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Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award.

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.