No tricks (or treats) here! This month brings a new list of causes to celebrate and recognize. From fighting breast cancer to destigmatizing mental health and eliminating poverty, there are so many ways for all of us to #PledgeToDoGood this October.
You’ll notice each cause’s alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is a global framework that was adopted by the United Nations in 2015 to address the world’s most pressing causes.
Looking for more inspiration? Be sure to follow our social media accounts where we provide more content about the events, campaigns, and partners who are joining us in the #PledgeToDoGood.
Below you’ll find a monthly guide of causes and nonprofits that you can easily support through Pledge as a way to honor these special dates, but you don’t need a day to do something good. Our Explore Causes page has every organization in our system categorized by topic, from education to the environment.
No matter what you support this month, our platform and products make it easy to donate to any cause of your choice. For more information and see how you can get started, reach out to our Impact Partnerships team at impact@pledge.to today.
All Month: Breast Cancer Awareness Month
SDG Alignment: #3 Good Health and Well-being
Every October, the nation observes National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer is a disease that affects both men and women and is among the most common cancers. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, 1 in 8 women will develop invasive breast cancer in her lifetime. To help fight this deadly disease, create a fundraiser or donate to one of these organizations:
- Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
- African American Breast Cancer Alliance
- Breast Cancer Research Foundation
All Month: Healthy Lung Month
SDG Alignment: #3 Good Health and Well-being
Lung disease affects a huge number of Americans. Around 10 million are diagnosed with chronic bronchitis each year, 25 million are believed to be living with asthma, and over 150,000 die from lung cancer annually. Our lungs are important and Healthy Lung Month is an opportunity to create awareness around healthy lifestyle choices and support organizations like these:
All Month: Domestic Violence Awareness Month
SDG Alignment: #3 Good Health and Well-being
Domestic Violence Awareness Month is a time for all of us to speak up about domestic violence, raise awareness, and support survivors of this devastating but common issue. Domestic violence can happen to anyone and is present in every community, regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, race, socioeconomic status, religion, or nationality. In the United States, over 10 million adults experience domestic violence annually. On a typical day, domestic violence hotlines nationwide receive over 19,000 calls.
October 4: World Animal Day
SDG Alignment: #14 Life Below Water, #15 Life on Land
World Animal Day is a global social movement that seeks to raise the status of animals in order to improve welfare standards. It is designed to unite the people who are advocating for better treatment of animals and working in the animal welfare movement. While started over 100 years ago, it serves today as a global force to make the world a better place for all animals, supporting organizations like these:
October 5: World Teachers Day
SDG Alignment: #4 Quality Education
On October 5, 1966, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization passed the ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, establishing benchmarks regarding the rights and responsibilities of teachers. Celebrate the protection of the rights and status of teachers by advocating to those around you and donating to organizations working to protect teachers’ rights around the world like those below:
October 10: World Mental Health Day
SDG Alignment: #3 Good Health and Well-being
World Mental Health Day is an international day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma. It was first celebrated in 1992 at the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health, a global mental health organization with members and contacts in more than 150 countries. This day, supporters come to celebrate this annual awareness program to bring attention to mental illness and its major effects on peoples' lives worldwide, while also supporting one of these organizations that fight for mental health care:
October 11: International Day of the Girl Child
SDG Alignment: #5 Gender Equality
International Day of the Girl Child supports more opportunities for girls and increases awareness of gender inequality faced by girls worldwide based upon their gender. More than 62 million girls around the world have no access to education and collectively, girls ages 5 to 14 spend more than 160 million hours more on household chores than boys of the same age do. The celebration of the day also "reflects the successful emergence of girls and young women as a distinct cohort in development policy, programming, campaigning, and research.”
To celebrate this day, support organizations like those below working to reduce gender equality for girls around the world:
October 11: Indigenous Peoples' Day
SDG Alignment: #10 Reduced Inequalities
Indigenous Peoples' Day is a holiday that celebrates and honors Native American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures. While originally adopted in Berkeley, California in 1992, this day has recently been celebrated more widely, amplifying the inequalities and mistreatment of Indigenous people ongoing throughout the United States.
October 16: World Food Day
SDG Alignment: #2 Zero Hunger
Action across 150 countries is what makes World Food Day one of the most celebrated days of the United Nations calendar. Hundreds of events and outreach activities bring together governments, businesses, NGOs, the media, and the general public. These promote worldwide awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger and for the need to ensure healthy diets for all. Astonishingly, over 821 million people in the world still suffer from hunger even though the world produces enough food to feed everyone. To support organizations working to eliminate world hunger, click below:
October 17: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
SDG Alignment: #1 No Poverty
Poverty is not solely an economic issue, but rather a multidimensional phenomenon that encompasses a lack of both income and the basic capabilities to live in dignity. Persons living in poverty experience many interrelated and mutually reinforcing deprivations that prevent them from realizing their rights and perpetuate their poverty, including dangerous work conditions, unsafe housing, lack of nutritious food, unequal access to justice, lack of political power, and limited access to health care.
Support organizations like those below working to end poverty today:
October 21: World Values Day
SDG Alignment: All 17 SDG Goals
World Values Day is an annual campaign to increase the awareness and practice of values around the world.
Values are what matter most to us - they are our motivators, the passion in our hearts, and the reason we do the things we do. This is a day to reconnect and discover what are our own individual and intrinsic values, while also supporting organizations that align with those values.
You can discover those by visiting our Explore Causes page here.
What do you #PledgeTo support this month? Share your fundraising campaigns powered by Pledge on your social media accounts for a chance to be featured to our global audience. Thank you for being part of the #PledgeToDoGood!