You can donate old clothes to thrift stores like Goodwill, Out of the Closet, or the National Council of Jewish Women.
You can volunteer to feed the homeless, work a a charity event or give an art workshop for women and children who are healing from domestic violence.
You can make annual or periodic financial contributions to the charity of your choice.
You can participate in bike rides, 5Ks, and marathons all over the world to help raise money for organizations like The Alzheimer's Association, Aids Ride or the myriad of cancer foundations.
Here are some reasons why people give:
They have been helped by these organizations and would like to give back.
Some are looking for a tax deduction. They would rather spend their money to help the needy than give it to Uncle Sam.
It gives you a personal feeling of well being to do something for someone other than yourself and it brings that person joy. Even if you volunteer for a day, you could change someone's life forever.
Miracles happen. My personal story involves me reaching out to network with someone in my industry via social media. When I discovered that they were the founder of charity organization that spoke to my heart, I made a donation. I became more interested in the charity than networking and wanted to get more involved. I received a personal thank you from the founder, we started communicating online and the next thing I knew, I was in contact with the birth mother who gave me up for adoption 57 years prior.
I've always enjoyed helping people but after this amazing outcome, I will continue to advocate for giving for the rest of my life. I used to have an issue for "rescuing" people who didn't ask for my help and was taken advantage of many times. Now I give where I am needed and appreciated. It's a much better feeling all the way around.
Share your favorite charity and tell us why you like to give.
