Financial Literacy: Evaluating Charities

Charities do a lot of important work to support communities all around the world. It is important to have strategies to evaluate charities and show care and respect to those in need.

Grade Level: 10-12

Character Skills

Respect
Caring

SEL Skills

Responsible Decision-Making
Social Awareness

Academic Skills

Curiosity and Passion
Effective Problem-Solving

Definitions

Respect

Follow the Golden Rule.
Be accepting of differences.
Be courteous to others.
Deal peacefully with anger, insults, and disagreements.
Be considerate of others’ feelings.

Caring

Be kind.
Be compassionate.
Express gratitude.
Forgive others.
Be considerate of others’ feelings.

Responsible Decision-Making

Make decisions based on rationality, ethics, and effectiveness.

Social Awareness

Assess and be sensitive to the feelings and needs of others.

Curiosity and Passion

Enthusiastic to understand more about themselves, others, and the world around them.

Effective Problem-Solving

Make rational, ethical, and effective decisions to find the best solutions to problems.

Learn more about our character, SEL, and academic outcomes.

Share This Activity

This lesson is provided due to support from

Explore charities with your students using the Exploring Charities lesson from Wells Fargo’s Hands on Banking curriculum.

Materials/Preparation

“Evaluating Charities” lesson plan
Interactive whiteboard or projector with internet connection
Devices with internet connection for student use
Choose the Right Charity activity sheet (included within lesson plan)

Discussion Prompts

How do charities support your community?
How does supporting a charity show you care and that you respect others?
How can you budget for charitable giving?
What character traits would you want to see a charity promote? Explain your reasoning.
What are other ways you can support a charity, without using money?

Family Connection

Charities do work that promote all Six Pillars of Character. In this lesson, students focused on the Pillars of caring and respect. At home, talk with your child about how charities connect to the other pillars of trustworthiness, responsibility, fairness, and good citizenship. Discuss charities that you have been impacted by, or that you have supported. Make a plan to support a local charity either by volunteering or donating.

You also can work together as a family to complete the Give Until it Helps worksheet to help guide the conversation around charitable giving.