Every day, people are looking to make an impact on the world. Whether through disaster relief programs, food pantries, clean water charities, or providing beds to those in need—a nonprofit creates the perfect window for you to help others. But do you know how to ensure that your charitable donations are making the biggest impact within your chosen organization?
Here are a few tips to inspire your giving so you can feel proud of the contributions you’re making to lives all around.
Planning for A Greater Impact
It’s hard to gauge whether your money is making a significant impact if you don’t have an idea of what that success looks like for you. Ask yourself, what kind of impact do you hope to achieve? Just as every nonprofit has its unique mission statement, you can create your own mission statement on how and why you want to give.
Whenever you find a cause that stirs up a genuine passion inside you, you’ll naturally want to stay active in the nonprofit’s success. The more actively you keep track of how your money is used, the more you’ll see how much your contributions are genuinely helping accomplish these goals.
Strategize Your Charitable Donations
As a financial supporter, you can contact any nonprofit to determine precisely how your money will be spent. Take a look into these several essential areas: the number of people reached, past outcomes from the previous programming, and how smart the nonprofit handles donations.
Organizations can explain what they hope to achieve with charitable donations and provide a timeline for accomplishing that mission. You can use these objectives to guide you toward which nonprofit satisfies your values. As you donate, consider spreading out your donations across each month to give your nonprofit a steady source of predictable revenue. A steadier income helps organizations plan their objectives with a clear vision.
Keep Track of Your Investment
Once you’ve narrowed down the organization(s) you want to give to, you can track how much of an impact your charitable donations are making. Think of your nonprofit as an investment. When you invest in stocks, you probably don’t throw your money into random stocks only to never follow up on them again. You most likely formulated a plan and checked in on how your investment was doing over time.
Is it making the returns you hoped? If it isn’t, you likely invest in a different stock. A nonprofit should be no different.
Track the Progress: Like any investment, you should be tracking your nonprofit by reading the organization’s newsletters, annual reports, and CEO letters to discover the latest updates about how your money is helping others.
Contact Your Nonprofit: If you have any further questions, you can even call the organization regularly to find out exactly how your money makes an impact. Based on the results, you can choose to continue your charitable support or decide if another nonprofit would make a more desired impact.
Don’t Overlook Small Organizations
New organizations are founded every year and don’t have the resources that larger organizations have built up. So as you’re planning on which organization to give to, you can consider finding some small organizations that fit your values and get in on the ground floor.
It’s always exciting to be part of organizations already making a huge impact, but it can also feel rewarding to help smaller organizations grow into tomorrow’s leaders.
Other Ways You Can Make A Big Impact
Charitable donations don’t only have to be about money. Here are some other ways you can help make a significant impact:
Volunteering
Donating your time is vital to support a cause. Nonprofits need people willing to lend a helping hand because, without volunteers to keep the organization running, the money coming in can’t make as much of an impact as it could.
Nonprofits need volunteers for outreach, working with the community, packing supplies, driving vehicles, completing office tasks, and a whole lot more. There can never be too many volunteers, and knowing that you have a direct hand in the success of a program can often be just as satisfying as providing financial support.
Spreading the Word
Nonprofits need to get the word out, and you can help by sharing links about important upcoming events. By sharing links on social media, you’ll be assisting others to learn more about the organization and create potential new volunteers. Not everyone passionate about a cause has heard of the right organizations, so sharing links is a vital way of paying it forward by using your voice.
Starting a Fundraiser Page
Sometimes passionate supporters need a little nudging reminder, especially from family and friends. Along with spreading the word on social media, you can help by setting up a fundraiser page for donations. By sharing a fundraiser page, it makes donating as easy as clicking a button! You can be the leader in your friend circle that champions a cause, bonding your group closer together.
Make A Difference Today
No matter what your passion or skill sets are, there’s a nonprofit out there waiting for your charitable donations to make an impact on this world. And there has never been a better time than right now! How will you make a difference? And if you’re still searching for a place that’s changing people’s lives each day, we can help you find a way for your money to make a significant impact in your community.