Most people think that the only way to contribute to your community is by giving money to a charity, but this is just because many aren’t aware that a contribution can go beyond a direct donation!
- Give an old cell phone back. Americans replace their cell phone once every 2 years, at the very least. By giving your phone back to Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon or AT&T you are giving to a charity (all vendors listed donate proceeds of used phones). Sprint states that since 2001 the company has donated $4 million to charity through the sale of used phones.
- Lend your knowledge to a charity. Sometimes your expertise can make a huge difference. You may be a plumber who can fix a pipe or a student who can make phone calls on the weekends.
- Donate junk from the garage for a fund-raising drive. Don’t feel bad about throwing away that old bicycle or television; raffle it off at a fundraiser.
- Join your neighborhood council. Most major cities are too large to know the needs of the local community. By volunteering your time or opinions you can help issues like traffic, land usage, building regulations, and more.
- Take a pet home for a week. Many no kill shelters have so many animals that they need volunteers to take a cat or dog home for as little as a couple of days to free up room and resources.
- Donate your organs and plasma. Most people don’t realize the importance of telling DMV that you would like to be an organ donor in case of an emergency. Or if you don’t feel squeamish you can always give blood!
- Donate books and other media to your local library. Your local library is a government agency and is most likely in need. Take that old collection of paperback books and bring it to the library. The library has been known to take equipment, real estate, stocks, artifacts, works of art and collections.
- Allow a charity to use your name or company name. Most would be surprised how far you can go by lending your name. If you own a small business or just want to be put on a list of people that support a 501C3.
- Go for a walk. Many charities will donate money on your behalf for participating in walkathons, marathons, or other events.
- Have your realtor donate his fees to charity.
These tips are courtesy of Philanthropy Realtors, an organization which recruits from all agencies, both commercial and residential, letting the seller donate to his or her favorite charity by using part of the realtor’s commission as a donation. Some of the charities working with Philanthropy include, Homes for Our Troops, Starlight Children’s Foundation, Getavision, LAPD, American Cinematheque, Learning Rights, and many more. Visit philanthropyrealtors.com for more information. Philanthropy Realtors works with all agencies; just ask your realtor!
Also, goodsearch.com and goodshop.com give a percentage of their advertising revenue direct / affiliate fees to charity of your choice. Some raise like $10,000+. (No, its not my company, just an easy and free way to raise money for your cause)
Thanks for these great ideas.
Small businesses can also take advantage of a variety of ways that they can contribute without spending a dime- lending business expertise, office space, used equipment, posting charity info on their website, and much more.Businesses may be feeling economically challenged, but with a little creative thinking and tapping into ideas like yours,anyone can give. For more info: http://www.businessthatcares.blogspot.com
Always donate when you can. Donations drive important projects. When you donate you are giving back something special.
Thanks for recommending organ donation. There’s a huge shortage of transplantable organs.
Over half of the 107,000 Americans on the national transplant waiting list will die before they get a transplant. Most of these deaths are needless. Americans bury or cremate about 20,000 transplantable organs every year. Over 9,000 of our neighbors suffer and die needlessly every year as a result.
There is a simple way to put a big dent in the organ shortage — give organs first to people who have agreed to donate their own organs when they die.
Giving organs first to organ donors will convince more people to register as organ donors. It will also make the organ allocation system fairer. People who aren’t willing to share the gift of life should go to the back of the waiting list as long as there is a shortage of organs.
Anyone who wants to donate their organs to others who have agreed to donate theirs can join LifeSharers. LifeSharers is a non-profit network of organ donors who agree to offer their organs first to other organ donors when they die. Membership is free at http://www.lifesharers.org or by calling 1-888-ORGAN88. There is no age limit, parents can enroll their minor children, and no one is excluded due to any pre-existing medical condition.
I have one of those go phones I should donate to the local battered woman’s shelter. They are always asking for them so that battered women have a way to at least use 911.
I try to donate my talents when and where I can. I have always felt that donating your time is a great way to be productive.
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