Friday5

Ever feel like donating to charity is tougher than it should be? By the time you research a good cause, find a reputable organization, choose a worthy amount, hand over your payment info and follow up to be sure it was all worth it, you might forget to feel good about giving.

Friday5 helps you skip to the best part. Each week, your automatic donation of $5 or more will directly support a carefully curated cause. Friday5 retains a small amount of the contribution (currently 4.75%) to cover the processing cost; the balance goes directly to the organization that is being featured that week. 

You will receive a weekly email, detailing where your donation went and who it helped. You can also login anytime to view a list of your weekly donations and updates on each cause you've supported.

Friday5 checks out organizations with Guidestar and Charity Navigator to make sure that they are legitimate, file their tax returns and are financially responsible. The organizations must also be creating change both within and beyond their local community.

Some of the organizations that have been featured by Friday5 include: Toilet.Hackers, Philadelphia Reads, Direct Relief International, Project Angel Food, Aravind Eye Care System, Cure Violence, and ShelterBox.

Donations are processed by Friday5's nonprofit partner Network for Good, a Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance accredited industry leader in processing online donations. By signing up with Friday5, you authorize Network for Good to charge your credit card on a predetermined weekly schedule to process a recurring donation to the selected charity. 

You have the assurance of knowing that your privacy is protected--your personal information will never be traded, sold or rented to individuals or companies. However, with your permission, your name and contact info will be shared with the philanthropies that you are supporting. 

Click here for an article about FridayFive in Pando Daily and here for an interview in Pepperdine University's Waves of Good with Friday5's founder and chief excecutive officer, Michael Berman, on how his personal and professional journey led him to establish Friday5.