For many people, giving to charity is an important part of their lives. Whether it is for religious reasons, for the greater moral good, or simply to lower their tax burden, many people are looking for new ways to give to a charity that can do a lot of good for those they’re donating to. Thankfully, there are many ways to give back to both society and the needy, and they range from helping out your community to helping those around the world. When it comes to performing charity, most people tend to think of either giving a dollar amount or donating their time to work as a volunteer. In fact, here are a few ways to donate to charity you might not have considered before.
Donate an Old Car
Instead of giving money, you could donate an old car you are not using. There are many charities that assist children, veterans, the homeless, cancer patients, the environment, and more that accept car donations. Even if the car isn’t in the best of shape, it can still be a significant donation that can impact lives and help lessen your tax burden. Junker cars can be sold by the charity for scrap, and those that can be fixed up either become a project for that charity to work on or get fixed up and given to someone who really needs it. The money made through selling or working on the car then goes back into programs for the charity that continue to make them successful. Therefore, whether or not the car you want to donate even drives is of little consequence, donating it anyway can be a big help to those in need.
Donate to Young Athletes
Another option you may have not thought of before is to donate to young athletes. This one might feel a bit simplistic, but you’d be influencing your community for the better. You could, for example, take the step of sponsoring a little league team to help young children get involved in athletics at an early age. This can be important for a lot of kids, especially those that wouldn’t get to play otherwise.Â
Another option available to you is to donate to a college sports team. If you love any of your college’s sports teams, in particular, there are even services available that allow you to donate to college athletes directly at your preferred college. This, again, can make a big impact on those that get to play, especially for students who wouldn’t have the means to participate otherwise. Helping to support athletics programs of any kind for disadvantaged youths or dedicated college students can also make a big impact on the lives of young athletes.
Start a Collection Drive
You can also donate to charity by getting others to donate alongside you. One of the easiest ways to do this is by organizing a collection drive. There are numerous organizations and non-profit charities to choose from for you to collect from, and they would all likely appreciate any help they could get. There are many different ways to run a collection drive, and one of the most important first steps is to determine what you’ll be collecting, often by determining which charity you’ll be donating your collections to. This can range from clothes to food, or school supplies and toys. Even blood drives are considered collection drives, and they can save a lot of lives.
When taking on a collection drive, you may find it surprising that many businesses are willing and able to donate directly to your drive with items they’d otherwise just throw away. Many local grocery stores donate a lot of food goods to charity every month to help out those who struggle to buy groceries on their own. You can even obtain items from other businesses like coats, gloves, blankets, toys, school supplies, and other goods that many families can’t afford and would go without if it were not for such collective drives.
Set Up a Recurring Donation
While donating in dollar amounts is the most classic form of donation, and can feel sometimes too easy or like you’re putting forth the least amount of effort, it’s still charity. As discussed when talking about donating to young athletes, anything you do can have a serious impact on those you’re donating to. Setting up a recurring donation so that you’re giving to the charity of your choice on a regular basis is a great way to help those in need on a long-term basis. The most important thing when it comes to charity is to focus on how it can help the other person, not how it impacts you or makes you look. Some people only have time to donate a dollar amount while others have the time to set up and run a collection drive. Everyone is different but they can still do their part.
Overall, this list is only scratching the surface of things you can do to help out. As long as you have the time, means, and motivation, you can find a plethora of different ways to donate to charity beyond simply writing out a check every once in a while. Doing so can seriously help the lives of others in significant and profound ways and make you feel better about having the ability to make a difference in the world, whether it be in a small way or a big way.
