We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. ~Winston Churchill
‘Tis the season for giving ~ and receiving. Nearly one-third of all charitable giving happens in the last three months of the year. It is a busy time of year for most philanthropic organizations between Giving Tuesday, Thanksgiving, Cyber Monday, and Christmas campaigns.
But what if you want to give but are just a bit short on funds? Donating money is not the only way you can help. Of course, charities need money to survive, but they welcome other forms of donations as well. If you want to make the world a better place but don’t have a lot of funds to give, here are some ways you can help.
How to give to charity without breaking your budget.
Donate your time
Most charity directors agree, donating your time is the number one way you can help. Money is necessary, but besides staff, the life-blood of charitable organizations is volunteers. Donating your time can help organizations reduce their operating costs and increase the services they offer. Homeless shelters, soup kitchens, hospice facilities, animal rescues all need people to help out by being physically present to volunteer.
Donate your skills – virtually
If your busy schedule prohibits you from being physically present to volunteer, you can still help by donating your skills virtually. Volunteers often have specialized skills that in-house staff may not possess. Skills like social media management, storytelling, computer technology, and bookkeeping, to name a few, are always needed. Best of all, most can be done virtually during off-hours and on your own time.
Organize a drive
Do you have time, enthusiasm, and a large circle of contacts? Consider organizing a drive to gather donations. You could hold a food drive, animal supply drive, school supply drive, or clothing drive. Be sure to check with the charity first to find out their most needed items. Then all it takes is a few hours of your time and some flyers/social media posts to get the ball rolling.
Shop
You will be doing a lot of online ordering anyway; why not make it count for charity. AmazonSmile and GoodShop are just two businesses that will donate a percentage of your purchase to the charity of your choice. Many local businesses also give back to charity during the holidays. Check with the merchants you usually shop with to see if they offer a giving back program.
Ask family/friends for gift donations
We all have lots of “stuff,” and most of us don’t need more. If your friends and family ask you for gift ideas, ask them to donate to your favorite charity instead. You can set up a giving campaign on social media or check with the charity to see if they have an easy way to set up a campaign.
Use a charity focused credit card
Some credit card companies have partnerships with charities and offer cards specifically designed for giving. There is no additional cost to you for the card, and a percentage of your purchase is automatically donated to the charity, so you don’t even have to think about it. Check out this list of The 5 Best Charity Credit Cards from Finder.
Employer gift matching
In this age of corporate social responsibility, many employers offer matching gifts. They will match all, or part, of your donations to a registered charity. Check to see if your employer offers this benefit and if they don’t, speak to the HR department to encourage them to start a matching gift program.
Giving back is important all year, and especially during the holidays. But sticking to your budget is essential as well. You can do both by tying out these seven ideas for giving to charity without breaking your budget.
Wishing you and yours the Happiest of Holidays and Peace in the New Year!
