152 What is the Italian equivalent for charity ? The difference between a charity and another type of non-profit organisation lies in the fact that a charity, in order to qualify as such, needs to meet very specific or strict guidelines, i.e. philanthropic goals. CHARITIES A charity , or charitable organisation, is a type of non-profit organisation with philanthropic goals in the charitable, educational, and religious sector, or other activities of public interest. It usually depends on grants and donations from individuals or other organisations. International charities or non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have headquarters in one country but also work in other countries. Types of charities Charities can be classified into the following broad categories: animal charities, which are interested in animal welfare, especially in the protection of endangered species, animal rescue and pet adoptions; environmental charities, whose focus is on promoting preservation and sustainable development for the environment; health charities, which cover everything from supporting and treating sick and disabled people to working on cures and diseases and promoting public awareness of specific health risks; awareness: consapevolezza bank transfer: bonifico bancario embedded: incorporato 300 SOCIETy hELpS New systems of fund raising Charities have increased the amount of donations in recent years thanks to the use of new systems of fund raising. The most common types of fund raising are the following: by text message: the donation process is embedded in the charity s website and is mobile compatible. In other cases, a number to send the text message is advertised on TV, on the radio etc. Six times more money has been raised through this method; education charities, which serve students from every age group and make education more accessible and effective; directly from the website: a donate button in bold colour appears on every page of the website, or a page with information on different methods that donors can use (e.g. credit card, bank transfer, etc.) is provided; arts and culture charities, which help to preserve artistic and cultural heritage as well as celebrate the arts and history. through social media: various options on how to make a donation through phone numbers or websites for additional information are provided.