Charities do a great deal of good in the world, from helping the homeless to fighting animal cruelty, but they need support in order to carry on with this good work. Supporting a charity, whether that be through volunteering or donating money, can be a great way of standing up for a cause you believe in and doing your bit to help make the world a better place.
Choosing a charity to support can be a bit of a difficult decision. There are so many good causes needing help that it can become confusing and overwhelming when trying to decide who to give your hard-earned money or time to.
In order to make this decision have a think about the things that matter to you most. If you’re going to support a charity, it’s best to choose a cause that’s close to your heart and has some personal meaning. If a friend or family member has suffered with a health condition then supporting a charity that aids research into that condition will have great personal meaning to you. Or if you are an animal lover, offering your support to animal charities would be a good bet. If you have recently become a parent perhaps a children’s charity would resonate most with you.
When choosing a charity to donate to it’s also a good idea to do some research into the work they do. Find their website and read up about their work. If you have further questions you could even contact them to find out more. It’s good to know where your money will be going.
How you can help
The most obvious way to help your chosen charity is to donate money, either on a regular basis or in one-off amounts. However, if money is an issue, this is not always easy. Another option would be to hold a fundraising event and encourage friends and family to contribute donations. You could hold an afternoon tea party whereby guests pay a donation to enjoy homemade tea and cakes. If you know your neighbours really well you could even extend this to a street party, where everyone chips in and makes different cakes, cookies and other goodies. If you’re sporty, look out for local fun runs or marathons and get people to sponsor you for your chosen charity.
For the more adventurous there are treks, cycling tours and even skydives that you can do to help raise money for charity. Once you’ve signed up for something like this, be sure to make the most of social media to publicise your event and drum up support. Contact your local newspaper and see if they will write a story about your effort.
Volunteering is another great way to do your bit for charity. If you have a couple of hours spare each week you could offer to help in a charity shop – these establishments are always looking for people to help on the till or sorting through donations.
If you have a skill such as gardening, art or massage then you may well be able to help your local hospice or old people’s home. Volunteers are often needed to tend to the gardens and help provide activities and care through complementary therapies for the patients and residents. It’s certainly worth contacting these organisations to see if you would be suitable to help.
Donating unwanted goods is another great way to help charities. Why not go through your wardrobe, pick out some items that you haven’t worn in years and take them to your local charity shop? You could do the same with your kids’ old toys that they’ve grown out of, or old ornaments that are cluttering up your house or garage.
Giving to charity or volunteering can be hugely rewarding, and the best thing of all is that the great feeling you get from doing something good is contagious! You’re bound to find yourself wanting to do more and may even inspire friends and family to do the same!
About the author: Liz Parry is a writer specialising in holistic health and wellbeing, personal development and spirituality. Follow her on Twitter and Google+
Originally posted on September 25, 2013 @ 5:22 pm
