Donating Your Time

Today, I had the pleasure of helping my mom pick up donations from Trader Joe's and deliver them to a needy organization. It's such a wonderful feeling knowing that I can not only give something back to the community, but help to keep perfectly good food out of the landfill and get nutritious food to those that might not have it otherwise. Heading into December, the focus turns to giving. I've never had a lot of money to give, but I do make time. Its frugal and each volunteer hour saves the organization about $40.

Next weekend I'm volunteering at another organization to sort books. The organization gets donations of books from a local bookstore and we get to sort through them to pull out the children's books to send to classrooms. I admit there's a perk. I also get to pull out books that they can't use for other organizations. A small town library is in need of new books and the organization my mom works for teaches parenting skills to teen mothers. She gets any books for new moms.

At the end of the month I'm volunteering for a charity event that will feature a live and silent auction. You may ask why I do so much. Well, I have to admit I don't usually make this many committements in one month, but I find its a great way to spend an evening out and its really easy on the budget.

Remembering Those Who Are Less Fortunate

Tithing, donating, charitable giving, it doesn't matter which name you use for it, giving back to the community is what helps to build a community. Tonight I was invited to a book signing that was a fundraiser for an organization that builds schools in Central Asian countries. An interesting point that the author made is that the amount the US spends to help build Iraq communities is quite a bit, yet its not as beneficial as it should be. Don't worry, this isn't a post where I get on my political soap box, rather an observation of our responsibility to ensure the money we give is being used effectively.
We are entering the season of giving when organizations mail out their annual request letters; school children are loaded down with brochures selling wrapping paper, cookie dough, and holiday greens; people are out ringing bells; and donation cans are passed around. Its also the season when questionable requests are made. Before you drop a few coins in the jar, see if its a reputable charity. Don't be afraid to ask organizations how much of each dollar goes to their programs and how much goes to administrative expenses. If your favorite kid is asking you to buy something, see if you can donate money or supplies to the organization rather than the marketing company that will give them $.05 for every dollar spent.
Make your donation work just as hard as if it were in your budget.

Holiday Season Challenge - Double Benefit Presents

One of the things I try to do is purchase presents that are double duty. I purchase presents that benefit charitable organizations. If I need to attend a fundraising event, I bid on items that are less popular and will make a good gift. My city has a few stores that benefit local organizations and people from third world countries. (Just for the record, if you consider this way of contributing back to the community, this is not an excuse to buy all of those things that are just going to become clutter.)