This year provides another opportunity for you to give back to your community. Are you looking for ways to donate hours or financially this year? Do you have new goals for contributing to families in your community?
Whether you are looking to give back as an individual or a group (church, family, school), there are nonprofit groups that need your help. From local to national groups, there is an organization that supports a cause you believe in – and you can make a big difference by reaching out to them.
Why Do You Give?
There are a few reasons why you might decide it’s time to start giving back. Maybe you or a friend or loved one has benefitted from a nonprofit organization, you see a need for something in your community, or you understand that you can help others and increase your happiness by donating to organizations that support something you believe in.
When you are thinking about why you want to give back, you’ll also start considering what organization you would like to work with. This can be based on a lot of personal factors, but some questions to guide you include the following:
- Where can you have the greatest impact?
- What kind of change would you like to see in your community, state, or country (or the world)?
- Would you prefer to give your time through volunteering or money?
- Who would you most like to work with?
- What organizations align with your values?
Using these questions, you can write out a few key priorities to begin narrowing down groups that you want to reach out to, or start donating.
How Do You Give?
Charitable giving can mean donating time or money to organizations that you believe in and want to support. The ‘how’ for giving doesn’t matter — both financial contributions and donations of time are incredibly valuable to nonprofits, and they will be very glad to have your volunteer time or your monetary donations.
Some organizations also share information about how donations are used, so you can do more research to learn about where your money will go. That can help you to decide if it’s a good fit for you.
How Can You Make the Biggest Impact?
This is a big question, and it’s one for both you and the nonprofit you decide to work with. Learning about their needs and how those match up with your ability to give, your preference of time and/or money, and how their needs fit in with your giving can make a difference in the nonprofits you select.
Of course, you want to have the most significant impact, so finding a match for your strengths and nonprofit needs is a great place to start. Plus, you’ll all enjoy the volunteer time or make better use of the charitable donations, so it makes a bigger difference for everyone involved.
Help Your Community
Finding ways to give back to your community and organizations you support is admirable work, and can help connect you with your local community even more.
Giving can mean money or time, and if you are interested in finding out how to donate either, you can look to Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP). SHP provides beds for kids who are otherwise sleeping on the floor or a couch, so they can have a place to sleep with bedding to call their own. Learn more about why SHP does the work they do and how you can get involved.
Sleep matters for all ages, and providing beds for kids can positively impact their rest and performance in schools. Learn more about SHP for a wonderful opportunity to give time or money in 2020.