In the spirit of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving is designated Giving Tuesday–a day set aside for supporting non-profits that are doing important work in the community.

Here are three non-profits that particularly inspire me with their ongoing work that is innovative, important, and well-executed.

I’d encourage you to explore these non-profits further and, if you like what you see, consider following them on Facebook or Twitter to stay informed about the work they are doing. By following them, you spread awareness about these organizations, which can be a form of giving just as potent as the financial kind…an easy way to impact many organizations on Giving Tuesday! That being said, feel free to make a donation, too, if you so choose and if you are able to do so.  : )

Sustained Dialogue Campus Network

Sustained Dialogue seeks to bring diverse groups of people (and sometimes people in direct conflict) together to learn from each other, mutually broaden their perspectives, and develop relationships that allow them to solve important problems in innovative and lasting ways. The SD Campus Network works to grow these programs on college campuses and develop a community of people empowered by their new-found connections with others and dialogue skills.

Reach Incorporated

Led by Mark Hecker, Reach Incorporated empowers low-performing high school students by training them to tutor and mentor low-performing elementary school students, to benefit the tutees AND the tutors! Recently, the tutors wrote, illustrated, and published several children’s books!

The Future Project

The Future Project places a “dream director” into schools to work with students and staff to develop their dreams and work to transform those dreams into reality. Students (“fellows”) are supported by mentors as they work to bring about the changes they wish to see in their schools and communities. Together, these people transform the culture of a school into a place where people are empowered to pursue their passions and creatively make a positive impact in the world (not just pass tests)!

Note: these three non-profits and several others are included year-round (not just on Giving Tuesday) on the Zack’s favorite thinkers and doers page.