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We’ve all gotten those solicitations. Whether it is a good friend’s fundraising event for breast cancer, you uncle’s upcoming half marathon supporting a child with pediatric AIDS, or just a homeless man begging for change. People are always asking for money. With high pressure from friends and tight budgets abound, even the smallest monetary donation can break the bank. The best thing you can do is express that a donation is simply beyond your means. There are plenty of ways that you can do good in your community without spending a dime.
1. Volunteer. It’s hard to say no to a friend who is asking for a $100 dollar donation to support their charity organization. If you can’t spend the money, ask if there is any other way you can help. Donating your time can mean just as much as money. If you’d like to volunteer, but don’t have specific organization in mind, spend a Saturday volunteering at your local food bank or at your neighborhood children’s hospital. There are plenty opportunities in every community.
2. Donate In-Kind. One man’s trash is truly another man’s treasure. Clean out your closet or de-clutter your home and find the things that you simple are not using anymore. Donate your old clothes to local good will. If you don’t have the time or the resources to drop off your donation, there are plenty of services that will pick up your donation right from your home. This is nice especially if you are making larger donations like furniture.
3. Budget. Create a monthly budget for unexpected costs. If you have money still in the budget at the end of the month, donate it to your cause of choice. As an added benefit, you might be able to get a tax deduction. In order to receive this deduction all donations must be monetary, you must have an itemized list of donations from a qualified tax-exempt organization, and you MUST have all records of the donation on file.
4. Fundraise. So you don’t have the money to donate, but you know some people who do. Reach out to a few of your connections on behalf of an organization. Market their cause on your social networks. It can be as simple as forwarding a donation request email to ten of your friends. You can do you part by extending your hand and raising more money than you would even donate in the first place.
5. Smile. Never underestimate the power of a smile. A good attitude can go a long way. It can even be infectious. It’s hard to believe, but your kindness could make or break somebody else’s day. Not only will this simple act help others, it might just help you! Some studies show that smiling can even affect your customers in business, your telephone communication and, if you work in the service industry, it can even increase the amount of tips you receive!
There are plenty of ways you can do your part without spending a dime. Next time you feel pressure from friends and family to shell out some cash, offer to help in other ways. For an added bonus and extra “feel-good” points say it with a smile!
Do you have any other tips on how to do your part in the world without spending an arm and a leg?
Author Bio: Kate Frankenberg is a passionately curious writer, DePauw University graduate, and digital marketing professional. By day you can find Kate marketing all things MyCabbage, (www.mycabbage.com), a simple way to keep all your daily deals, gift cards and coupons in one place and share with your friends so you can plan something together. By night you can find her working as a volunteer Marketing Chair for the Junior Council of Lurie Children’s Hospital and writing for her website (www.offthegridchicago.com), a blog about Chicago startups, nonprofits, and outstanding individuals.
This is great, and I agree! My wife and I have little extra money every month, so donating money isn’t always an option. But we do donate our time. I’ll clean gutters for family members or mow their lawns for free sometimes. Sometimes I won’t even ask and on snowy days, I’ll get up really early and plow family members’ driveways for them for free. If you can’t donate money, you can donate time or your skills, and it works out nice too
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Thanks for commenting. It’s nice to hear that you, unsolicited, are doing good things and donating your time to your friends and family!
After he moved away, up until I did I always mowed and shoveled for my best friend’s mother who lived across the street from me. Back in high school, if I wasn’t at my poteen house, I was probably at his, so it only seemed fair.
Sounds like a nice thing to do. I’m sure she appreciated all that help. I wonder who handled it after you moved though.
Great tips. I love the volunteering or helping the organization fundraise is a great way to give if you don’t have the money to give. I think for many organizations that is probably the next best thing to give them.
John S @ Frugal Rules recently posted..4 Easy Ways to Avoid Holiday Debt
I agree! If you can’t give your money, manpower is the next thing they need to spread the word and do good in their community. Fundraising takes time and energy.
I agree! If you can’t give your money, manpower is the next thing they need to spread the word and do good in their community. Fundraising takes time and energy.
I completely agree that donating you time or in kind gift are better than just opening up your wallet. Most charities on put a fraction of your money towards the actual cause anyways!
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I totally agree, Brian. Time and in kind donations are just as valuable.
We actually just took a couple of bags to the Goodwill. They are all clothes that we don’t need anymore and there are a lot of people that can really use them. It always feels good to give back a little.
Great to hear Sean. Keep it up.
Great concept! I’d add one more thought: be consistent. If you’re going to help someone doing worthy work, it helps them a lot to know they can count on $5 or $10 a month from you, more so than a one time gift of say $100. Their needs are monthly and a small steady contribution usually means more to them then one-off donations…
Great addition, William. It’s important to be consistant if you really want to make a difference whether it be volunteering every Saturday or making an in kind donation every month.
This is a really, really great point. It is so true that consistency, even in small amounts, can be so much more helpful!
Anne @ Unique Gifter recently posted..Creative DIY Gift: Custom Photo Book
I’d think a lot of people would overlook that part and just help out here and there. Provided consistent help sure would be a lot more beneficial though.
I personally would rather donate my time if it was a true cause I believed in. I feel I could do much more good that way.
Lance @ Money Life and More recently posted..Should I Pay Off My Car Loan Update
That is great, Lance! I’m sure the cause you donate your time to appreciates every minute.
We usually sponsor a few families for Christmas but we haven’t decided on that yet this year.
I typically donate food to the food pantry around the holidays. I just got a bag ready and I need to drop it off!
I don’t usually donate any time….I just don’t have any extra time right now.
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Whether it time or money, whatever you can give counts in a big way to the organization/family you are donating to!
I used to do a lot of volunteering but my time and resources are limited now I am no longer a student! My work has an optional day of caring each year which we are allowed to take. I have done this the last 2 years and always enjoy giving back on community projects / disabled centres! I need to see if there is something else that I can fit in my routine
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I just stumbled across this website (http://www.volunteermatch.org/) which looks pretty legitimate if you are looking for volunteer opportunities in your area. Good luck finding another opportunity!
Unfortunately that is US based – appreciate the thought though!
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I do believe volunteering time is more valuable in many instances than giving money (as I place a higher value on my time…as it’s a limited resource). Saying that, I do also believe it’s important to give and we make sure to tithe to our local church in addition to supporting a few other causes monthly (and some sporadically).
If you manage your money wisely, there is always room to give. In fact, it’s often best to make saving and giving a priority, and then spending/living off what remains.
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Budgeting is definitely key if you would like to give a monetary donation.
I donate here and there to certain causes I support but only in amounts of $50 or more. My company matches $50+ donations and I get the tax break so for every $30 I donate, charities receive $100. That’s not a bad deal for both of us.
I keep saying I like to donate my time but I haven’t done it in a while! haha gotta get out there one of these weekends and serve up some soup!
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That is an amazing set up that your company has in place. There have been a lot of articles out there talking about corporate giving programs and how they increase employee retention and happiness!
We used to have a $20 cash budget per month for random giving. We removed it when my wife quit to stay at home, but are adding it back in. I love to always be ready to give when the opportunity arises. We also give to our local church as well.
And we just donated about 200 clothing items after a clothing swap at our places. Feels good to give
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Good to hear you are budgeting for giving again. Beyond the benefits to the people receiving the donations (monetary or in kind), YOU alway feel better after donating too!
#5 should be a prerequisite for everything you do in life! Smile
Loved this guest-post!
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The world would be a lot friendlier place if people took that to heart. The emotion that people project plays a big part in how people respond to them.
These are all great ways to do good. I volunteer as well as donate. My employer has an easy auto-deduct option for donating to nonprofits, and for select nonprofits they match your donation. Definitely feels good to feel like you are helping to make a difference.
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That’s cool that your employer does that. I can’t say that I’ve heard of an employer that does that year round. Usually it’s just for select fundraising drives.
I volunteered for Habitat for Humanity back when I could guess my days off more than a day in advance.
When three house of one of my wife’s friends burned down, my wife organized a clothing drive at work to help replace what they has lost.
That’s a cause that I could see myself helping out with when I get more free time. I like the idea of a community coming together to help a family in need. It just seems more meaningful than donating to some massive charity.
Awesome post! I love volunteering and philanthropy. I definitely don’t get to do as much these days, now that I work all the time. I very much miss that aspect of university, when the hours in my day were more flexible.
Anne @ Unique Gifter recently posted..Creative DIY Gift: Custom Photo Book
Yes university is when it would be most convenient to volunteer. I hate to admit that I kept myself too busy partying to help people like that. I wish I had been more generous instead.
A great way to give that doesn’t cost anything is to give blood. It’s important because there is only one source for blood: other people. You’ll even get some free cookies out of it!
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Good suggestion Rob. That’s about one of the easiest ways you can give back. All it takes is a bit of your time. During that time you could even catch up on something like reading.
I love the budget idea.. having a budget item for doing good is probably the first step if you really want to bless others financially. If you’re short on cash, volunteering is always needed, especially these days…
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I’d think if someone is on a tight budget, putting aside money in their budget for charity would be challenging. So yeah I agree volunteering might be more appropriate in that case.