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Four Ways You Can Give Back Without Spending A Dime

When drawing up our monthly budget, most of us divide our earnings between savings and expenses. However, do we always include a fixed amount for charities? Not all of us maybe! To some people, allotting a fixed amount for charities every month may not work well for their overall budget. Yet, they may have the intention to give back to society. If you ever find yourself in this category, remember there are tons of other ways to give back. And these methods do not involve money at all.

Invest In Companies You Approve

Giving back to society does not always mean donating money to charitable organizations. In fact, it may not always have to do with charity at all! Think of your investments. Are there companies that make tobacco or firearms, or factories that have been blacklisted by the government for pollution? Do you really want to put your money in these companies? If you love our planet, you might not want to. In case you are wondering how to find stocks of companies that you approve of, here is an app named OpenInvest that can help.

Donate Your Time

If you do not have money to donate to causes that you love, you can always donate your time. Time is money after all! In fact, sometimes your time is more valuable than money for a few organizations. Most of these institutions cannot even afford to pay their employees, hence, they depend on volunteers to participate in their cause. If you can make time for them and help them using your skills, it will be a great help. For example, you can join a voluntary tutoring program where you teach underprivileged kids basic math, computer, or science. Teaching a new skill to homeless people or even volunteering in soup kitchens counts, too. No job is too small here.

Organize Drives And Raise Funds

Many charitable organizations often prefer a donation of clothes, canned goods, bed sheets, and other basic necessities. These are especially needed in places hit by huge storms or famine. Work in collaboration with a few places, and organize clothes or food drives for them. Money can be raised at these drives, too. You can set up a receiving area for these at your workplace, your neighborhood, or even at your child’s school. Raising funds can be done in a similar manner. But sometimes, even your physical presence is not needed. Imagine how many friends and followers you have on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? Now, create a group with a chosen few people whom you think might be eager to help. Share the fundraiser details with them. That’s it! If they believe in the same cause, they will donate as well.

Shop At The Right Places

Shopping at the right places might make a whole lot of difference. There are shops both online and physical ones where they will donate part of the money with which you bought stuff from in their store. AmazonSmile is known to donate 0.5% of your purchase amount to charitable organizations, while Whole Foods has the option where you can bring in your reusable bags, and they will donate 5 cents to a charity. Try and explore your city for charity shops because your money will be put into good use with every purchase you make.

Donate Blood And Other Body Organs

Donating blood is one of the best ways to give back. The USA alone needs more than 10,000 units of plasma every year. By donating blood, you can save someone’s life directly. Also, register yourself to become an organ donor. This means that after your death, your vital organs will be donated to people who are in need. It is a fairly easy process, and the only thing you need to do is register yourself at the National Donate Life Registry. There isn’t a better way to help another person!

Ask Your Employer To Help As Well

Did you know that your employer can help you by matching your gift? This means that the amount you donate to a charitable organization will be matched by the employer, hence, the amount will get doubled. Several companies already have this facility. If you are not sure about yours, go and talk to the HR department. In case they do not have the facility, ask them if they can start it. Many organizations are willing to make a deep social impact, and your company might be one of them!

Social welfare is great, and donating money to charitable organizations is a great initiative. But many of us can’t do that when we operate on a tightrope budget. If you still want to do some good, these are some of the best ideas. Go ahead, and do some good in your own way!

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