One of the best ways to ensure that you are well-rounded financially is to do a little good for others. Get involved in a charity, or find other ways to help.
You don’t have to just give money, either. There are plenty of ways that you can get involved by volunteering your time and talents. You can also become involved with fundraising on behalf of a charity that you are interested in.
Raise Money for Your Favorite Charity
Volunteer your time to help raise money for your favorite charity. Volunteers that help can cut down on overhead for the charity so that more of the money goes to your desired cause. One of the ways that my family likes to help out is getting involved with food drives on behalf of the local food bank. It’s a way to help a great local charity, and I know that those needing help are getting it.
You can also help with door-to-door fundraising drives, as well as efforts at various events. Volunteer to help at a charity fundraiser event by coordinating aspects, donating services that you specialize in, or by manning tables and collecting donations. There are a number of ways to get involved.
Come Up with Your Own Fundraising Ideas
You don’t have to stick with the playbook, either. You can get involved by offering your own fundraising ideas, and carrying them out. Some of the things you can do to help include:
- Have a neighborhood yard sale with proceeds going to the charity of choice.
- Organize some sort of marathon or 5K event and encourage participants to get sponsors to benefit the charity.
- Create an online store that sells products (including hand-made) and donate the profits to the charity of your choice. Make it clear on the site that you are donating.
- Have a potluck event where others bring the food, and then collect donations at the event.
- Request that others give you gifts (for birthdays and holidays) in the form of donations to your favorite charity.
- Have an auction. This can be a service auction, where participants donate services that others can bid on, or it can be for items that donors might bring. The proceeds from the auction can be given to charity.
There are a number of ways that you can organize a fundraiser to benefit your favorite charity, whether it’s local, national, or international.
Choosing Your Charity
It’s a good idea to think about what charity you want to be involved with. I like local charities because I can see, directly, how my donations of money, time, and goods help in the community. However, there are some national and international charities that do good on a larger scale. Think about what causes are important to you, and then look for a charity that is supportive of that cause. You are more likely to be consistent in your donations if you are interested in the mission of the charity.
What is your favorite charity? What do you do to support it?
