Giving back is something a lot of businesses fail to do in enough measure. However, philanthropy and charity are two of the biggest ways a business can make its mark on the society around it.
Rusty Tweed is an investment expert and also philanthropist and has given back for a number of years now via his site rustytweedgiving.com. The sites scholarships have helped countless people and are highly lauded. In that time Tweed would tell you he has learned a lot about giving to charity. So, Rusty Tweed has decided to share some of that with us below.
1. Give your time
The vast majority of charities are able to continue functioning due to volunteers. Being a volunteer is a fantastic way to give back to the community and it is as good as cash donations.
According to Rusty Tweed, it is best to give of your time and effort. This is because physical volunteers are needed at soup kitchens, shelters, animal rescues, senior centers etc to actually run them.
2. Skills
In the event that you have a particular skill that is quite useful such as cooking, photography or even being a great writer, you should think about giving your skills to charity. This is because many of these places have great need of people with these skills but simply can’t afford the cost to hire professionals.
3. Give your personal belongings
There are lots of charities and other similar organizations that are very happy to accept various items such as shoes, vehicles, clothes, furniture etc. So, if you have some extra stuff lying around that you don’t use or can afford to part with, then you should definitely give them to a charity.
Donating a car is actually a good way to receive a charity tax deduction.
More info: How do you go about helping kids learn about cash?
4. Blood
Next, you can even give blood to various places such as the Red Cross. It is very quick and you’ll likely get a cookie for doing so. By giving blood, you will actually help to save another person’s life since blood is necessary for most surgeries and medical procedures. In the United States, 10000 units of plasma are required every day.
5. Help raise money
Charities need a lot of money and you can help by helping to raise those funds. Often a business will donate to a We Charity that fits in with their values, contact Rusty Tweed for advice. This can be done by organizing a collection locally and you can set up a sponsored walk, sharing on various social media platforms etc. Once you’re willing to put in the work and hustle, then it is possible to raise quite a lot of money.
6. Charity drives
If you don’t have much cash but you have time and energy, then one way to give to charity is to actually organize a charity drive. There are many places where you can host these drives such as in the neighborhood that you live, at your workplace, schools and universities etc. It is very easy to get these drives started and all it needs is one person who is dedicated.
7. Change your shopping habits
There are many businesses that actually give a certain percentage of each sale to various charities. For example, at Whole Foods, you can purchase reusable bags that cost 5 cents and donate it to any charity that you choose. Even AmazonSmile gives 0.5% of some of your purchases to charity. As a result, you should take some time to look at different companies that you shop at and switch to other companies that actually donate to charities.
8. Gift matching
Lastly, there are many companies/employers that are happy to match your donation to the charity of your choice. So, if your company does this, then you should think about donating as much as you can. In the event that your company doesn’t do this, you should talk to your HR manager about implementing it.
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