The pandemic has been hard on so many of us and for charities that has meant a reduction in donations at the very time that their services are most needed.
From a personal point of view, charity giving means that you are helping people less fortunate than yourself and that you are supporting a cause that has special meaning.
For businesses, adopting a charity can not only boost staff morale and help develop team working but it is often also tax-deductible and so it makes complete sense.
For any of us that have spare cash (and even if we don’t), giving to charity is the right thing to do so in this post we’re looking at ways that you can help your favourite cause.
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Before you donate
It’s important that you make sure your chosen recipient is actually a real charity and unfortunately with so many scammers around it can be difficult to know how to spot a charity scam.
Be wary of unsolicited links or emails that turn up with a sob story, however plausible they may seem, as often these are simply another version of the Family Emergency scam. The key here is to think for a moment before acting as our willingness to help can often blind us to something that on another day may be an obvious con.
If there is time pressure to donate, or you’re asked for a specific amount of cash then these are red flags, as are URLs that look like a misspelt version of a real charity.
It’s always best to work with a registered charity and you can use sites like the BBB give.org site or in the UK the Charity Commission.
Once you have confirmed that the charity is real then it is time to think about how you can help.
#1 – Business giving
A great way to give to charity is to adopt a cause for your business and then support them throughout the year.
Staff can have fundraising events like BBQs or a Christmas Party, the company can donate a certain sum for each product sold and you can speak with your suppliers and customers to see if they would like to get involved.
The power of bringing your brand to the aid of a deserving cause means that donations are often much greater than where people give independently.
When a business genuinely sets out to help a charity it develops a great deal of goodwill from staff, customers and suppliers and this is never a bad thing. Alongside this, the simple act of joining together with your employees in a shared goal for the greater good increases employee engagement and helps to foster a team working spirit that transfers directly into the workplace.
#2 – Regular sums
Setting up a regular payment to your favourite charity is a great way to give and even if the amount you pay over each month is relatively small, over the course of a year this will add up.
Charities love regular giving because it provides them with a predictable income stream and helps them to smooth out any peaks and troughs in their revenue.
If you set up a direct debit or continuous payment from your bank then you’ll find that very soon you don’t even notice the amount each month but you’ll be safe in the knowledge that you are making a difference.
#3 – Set up an event
This ties in neatly with the business giving section because setting up a charity event is the perfect method of raising cash in the workplace.
Sure you can go all out and devise a huge charity ball but you don’t always have to think big.
A simple bake sale works well (and people love cakes!) as does the annual Movember or dry January.
Whatever you decide to do, work out how you can turn it into a fun way for people to donate and you could find that you end up raising much more than you thought possible.
#4 – Give your time
You don’t always have to donate cash to help out and it is true to say that many people are finding themselves time rich and cash poor during the pandemic.
One thing that charities are always in need of is more volunteers and it’s a pound to a penny that you have skills that a local charity would be glad of.
If you have business experience then volunteering as a trustee or director and helping to shape the future of the organisation is a good option.
People with specialist skills like web design or finance can help in a pro bono consultancy and even if you don’t want to get involved at a high level, volunteers are always needed to drive vans, collect donations and rattle tins outside supermarkets.
Whatever skills and aptitude you have will be appreciated and all you need to bring with you is a dash of adaptability and bags of enthusiasm.
#5 – Set up a foundation
When you have made your millions then it can be a very life-affirming thing to do to set up your own foundation.
Many entrepreneurs decide that they want to continue to make a difference whether that is locally or internationally and choose to set up an organisation that will help with a specific area of interest.
A good example would be the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation that doesn’t do work itself, but instead supports smaller charities that are working in the area of poverty relief and disease prevention.
#6 – Teach your kids about giving
This is an indirect but nonetheless important way to give to charity.
Teaching your kids (and others) about the important work that charities do and the way that they can help is vital if we are to make a real difference to the world.
Evangelising about your favourite cause and leading by example will inspire others, and whilst they may not choose to support your specific area of interest, they may well go on to give in their own way to a charity that is dear to their heart.
#7 – Remember them in your will
This is a subject that most people hate talking about but if you have a charity that is very close to your heart then you could do worse than remember them in your last will.
A bequest from your estate, whether it is large or small will give a boost to an organisation that will continue to do great work, even after you are gone.
If you haven’t made a will yet then many charities have a service that will help, whether you make a donation or not and you can often find that there are tax incentives for giving in this way.
Do what you can to help others
In this post, we’ve given you a selection of ways that you can help a charity cause that you identify with.
If you are wealthy enough to start your own foundation then that’s great news, but if you have no money at all you can still make a difference by offering your skills and experience to help others.
The important thing here is to do something, however small you may feel because above all charities love people to get involved.
You don’t have to be the world’s wealthiest man to contribute and by helping your community you’ll find that you get back much more than you put in.
About Carson Derrow
