As an active philanthropist, I’ve written a lot about giving back to those in need. The beauty of philanthropy, and helping others, comes from the number of ways you can give back, and how versatile your options can be. While some prefer to donate money, others prefer to donate tangible items such as clothes or food. To give back, you can even remove monetary contributions and focus on donating your valued time as well. Depending on your personal preference, you may choose to do one over the other, or you may choose to do both! Here is a little insight into donating time v. donating money.
Donating Time
To some, donating your time is the most valuable way you can give back to those in need. Volunteer work can be an amazing way to help out non-profit organizations and donate your time and individuals skills to help your local community. As a volunteer, you can participate with many different organizations that will introduce you to new people, and teach you about a specific cause. The entire experience can be quite meaningful and may motivate you to make volunteer work a regular habit.
If you’re considering some type of volunteer work, you can try activities such as working at a soup kitchen, participating in a local community clean-up, tutoring children that need extra help in school and studies, or volunteering at a local hospital. Today, there are even ways to donate your time virtually. Virtual volunteers are a great asset for helping others in need that may be overseas. You can consider online tutoring programs for children in less developed countries.
Donating Money
If your personal time is limited you may consider donating money or other items to organizations that support people in need. Rest assured, donating money is still an extremely effective way to give back. As much as an organization may need a volunteer, they need financial donations all in the same. As a financial donor, you’ll want to make sure you know where exactly your money is going, and how it will be used for the cause. As we’ve mentioned in other articles, monetary donations can often fall victim of charity scams, and without the right research, this is more common that night. If you’re making a generous financial donation, conduct the right research, know the organization, and where your money is going to be applied to.