Giving to Charity

People have varied reasons for giving to charities. Sometimes it is because the charity supports something they believe in, or it has helped them or a family member in the past. Giving to a charity not only benefits the organisation, but it also provides a sense of wellbeing and empowerment to the donor because they know they are doing something positive by helping others. In fact, research has found that donating to a charity increases activity in the part of the brain that registers pleasure.

If you have supported a charity in the past, whatever your reasons for doing so, your support will have made a difference. If you are someone that hasn’t and you are unsure how or if you can even afford to, here are a few tips to help:

Every little helps

Don’t think that to help a charity you must give a large amount, because you don’t. Charities are grateful for all donations and small amounts from lots of people soon add up. In fact, in the Charities Aid Foundation study, they found that around 41% of people in Europe gave less than €86 in total during 2020, which works out at less than €2 a week. If you want to support a charity, anything you can afford to donate would be gratefully received and it will help make a difference.

If you can’t give money, give time

If it is simply not possible for you to donate money to a charity, but you still want to help, do not despair. As well as receiving donations, charities love people giving up their time to help. If you can spare a few hours a week, a day a month or occasionally throughout the year, contact your chosen charity and see if you can be of use. You might end up helping deliver leaflets, rattling a collection tin or doing any number of things that charities need to do to survive. Your efforts will make a difference and will cost you nothing but spare time.

Become a fundraiser

Volunteering for a charity as a fundraiser, and getting people to donate money because of you, is another way you can help. Whether you decide to run a marathon, climb a mountain, bake, and sell cakes, or any number of brave/exhausting/crazy/fun/fantastic things, you will be able to raise money for the charity through your own effort, and not through your bank account.

Workplace giving

Some employers’ have workplace giving schemes in place which allow you to make donations to charities straight from your salary. In some countries, the UK for example, donations are made from your salary before income tax is deducted, which means you pay less to donate an amount than you would if it came out of your pay after tax. Some employers will also match donations made by employees. It’s worth speaking with your Human Resource department to see if your employer has a workplace giving scheme in place. If they do, get involved. If they don’t, encourage them to set one up!

Look on-line

Charities have rapidly adapted to the digitally connected world we live in and have become experts in using the internet and social media to connect with their supporters. In fact, more than a third of donors who took part in the CAF survey said that social media was how they were most inspired to give to a charity. Charities are also now using technology to make it far easier for people to donate, including via text message, PayPal, Apple Pay, donation platforms, and simply “checking out” as you would on an internet shopping site. A big advantage of charities having an online presence is that you can also research them and decide if they are the sort of organisation you want to support, and how you might be able to help them beyond simply donating money.

Shop online

Many charities also have online shops which sell a range of products to help them raise funds. This means that by buying items you would usually buy, such as Christmas cards or birthday gifts, from a charity’s online shop, rather than elsewhere, you can support the charity without having to find extra money to do so.