Katrina Sriranpong has supported numerous charities and non-profit organizations for more than 15 years.  While her family is from Thailand, Katrina Sriranpong grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia. After an extensive education both locally and abroad, she worked as a lawyer assisting immigrants, refugees and victims of human trafficking.

Katrina Sriranpong put her professional career aside to focus on her philanthropic work and her two young children. Now, she consistently shares information and works to support multiple initiatives focused on human trafficking, assisting refugees, caring for orphans, and supporting animal rights.

As a mother, Katrina Sriranpong believes in promoting empathy and compassion.  In her interview with Inspirationfeed, she said “I think nurturing a social conscience in the next generation is crucial to change.”  She also believes in being positive role models for your children by volunteering and teaching your children to be aware of global issues.

Katrina believes it’s possible for anyone to be a philanthropist, and has provided simple suggestions for ways to get involved and contribute to positive change.

Donation of Time

Monetary donations are not the only way in which you can donate to a cause you care about.  There is an abundance of opportunities within local and international charities/non-profits to volunteer your time.  For example, you can assist with new fundraising initiatives or provide free labour (such as building a house or other projects).  You can even donate your time in writing urgent letters to effect positive change with organizations such as Amnesty International.  Amnesty International encourages their supporters to write appeal letters to officials who are in a position to end a human rights violation.  Amnesty International has been successful in freeing people who have been wrongfully detained or targeted for their human rights advocacy.

In the US, about 63 million Americans, or a quarter of the adult population, volunteer their time and energy to make a difference, according to Nonprofit Souce.  Directly contacting the organization you are interested in working with is highly recommended as there are endless possibilities for you to become involved and dedicate your time.

Donation of Skills or Knowledge 

Having a specific skill set is a great asset to many charities and non-profit organizations that rely heavily on volunteers. While every volunteer is invaluable, those with unique skills or knowledge can be a significant benefit to an organization.

Individuals with the following skills or knowledge would be beneficial to many charities:

• Grant writing
• Social media marketing
• Fundraising or project management experience
• Accounting and bookkeeping
• Legal experience

You can even volunteer by providing mentorship.  For instance, MOSAIC, the largest settlement non-profit organization in Canada, recruits local professionals and introduces them to immigrant professionals in similar fields for career mentorship.  The mentors volunteer to share their knowledge of the local labour market and can assist in building a professional network.  This mentorship is extremely valuable to immigrants and refugees attempting to achieve economic self-sufficiency in their new country of residence.  

Donation of Funds 

Direct donations by individuals are how many non-profit organizations stay in operation.

Due to the pandemic, local and international charities have suffered from the decrease in donations from individuals.  According to Charity Helps, about one in four Canadians expect to give less in 2022 than they did in 2021.

In her interview with InspirationFeed, Katrina explained “when people donate to a charity, they want to see their funds used on a specific project or have their funds go directly to the victims or the mission.  However, people fail to understand that non-profit organizations need funds to cover administrative costs and establish a contingency fund so their programs can go on uninterrupted.”

Katrina Sriranpong further explained that “donating towards administrative funding or, at least, allowing the organization to use the funds as they deem appropriate is crucial to a non-profit organization’s survival during an economic recession.”

Katrina Sriranpong has supported multiple charities and organizations over the years, including Amnesty International, UNICEF, War Child, New Hope Foundation, and Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R).  She strongly believes that anyone has the ability to make a positive change in the world through small and incremental steps.