In your mind, put yourself at the end of November. You’re looking at an email inbox. What do you see?

Along with Black Friday deals (which may or may not last the better part of the final quarter of the year), you’ve probably received dozens of opportunities to take advantage of Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday specials. You’re becoming jaded. Sure: you are shopping, but you’re becoming jaded with all the commercialism and materialism and all that. But it isn’t like you want to spend more money, right?

There is probably another chunk of emails that came through right as the weekend was wrapping up. Giving Tuesday. And if you’re reading this, I’m more than confident that a handful of those pleas for benevolence came from outdoor or outdoor-adjacent causes.

But that was yesterday. Or last week. Or 11 months ago. I hear you.  At the same time, you’re above all that marketing hype. Right?

Altruism is certainly not limited to an offsetting pseudo-holiday following Thanksgiving.  It isn’t only something reserved for those last minute deduction-hitting weeks of December, either. Charitable contributions can and should be a part of the rhythm of financial stewardship. How much, how often, and how are up to you.

Being a fly fishing and outdoor website, I do have a few suggestions when it comes to that last question. In fact, they all fall under one general category: kids.

Here are a few organizations that are worth supporting year round:

• The Mayfly Project – The Mayfly Project is a 501(c)(3) national organization that uses fly fishing as a catalyst to mentor and support children in foster care. The Mission of The Mayfly Project is to support children in foster care through fly fishing and introduce them to their local water ecosystems, with a hope that connecting them to a rewarding hobby will provide an opportunity for foster children to have fun, build confidence, and develop a meaningful connection with the outdoors.
• Cast Hope – Cast Hope is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization positively impacting kids and their mentors in California and Western Nevada through free fly fishing and outdoor experiences. Through our program, clients build mentoring relationships, fly fishing skills, outdoor knowledge, sustainable practices, and personal values. Cast Hope’s gift of the outdoors empowers each mentoring pair to grow closer as they participate in healthy hobbies together.
• Elevate Youth – Our vision is to spark a lifelong love of the outdoors through equitable access and routine immersion in nature as a way to foster agency and lead holistic, healthy lifestyles. We work alongside our youth to elevate their voices as the next generation of diverse environmental stewards.
• TU Camps – Trout Unlimited chapters and councils currently sponsor and operate 25 camps and academies — ranging from two-day casting or fly tying clinics to overnight summer camps. This variety of venues means young fly fishers can experience many kinds of rivers and streams, angling techniques and trout species.

Think of it as the way better option of giving a man to fish. It is literally teaching young men and women to fish, care about fish, and take the mantle of protecting fish. That is something worth giving towards every day.