Ways to Give

The earthquake in Haiti is only one of several catastrophes that occurs around the world on a regular basis. And when we hear about the quake in Haiti or the quake in Humboldt County or the tsunami in the south Pacific or how Katrina hit Mississipi and Louisiana or anything else, we want to help. Most people hear the stories and see the pictures and have a visceral kick in the gut and the need to help. We might not always have the wherewithal, but we do want to. So, if you feel the need to help or give back to the world somehow, here are some ideas and pointers:

1) Be careful. Make sure the organization you’re donating to is a reliable and well-known nonprofit and not some fly-by-night venture that might just take the money and run. Some reliable disaster relief and nongovernment organizations include: Doctors without Borders, the American Red Cross, Children’s Disaster Services, International Red Cross/Red Crescent, and the World Health Organization. Also check out disaster relief websites which regularly list organizations, as well as contacting your church, synagogue or other place of worship as several denominations and religious organizations also have disaster relief organizations attached to them.

2) Be creative. It’s not an emergency, not a disaster, but you still feel like giving? If you’ve got the time, why not make it fun? Lots of places have a set up so you can donate money in someone else’s name and can then send them an ecard to let them know. So, next time you’re not sure what to get someone for their birthday or Christmas, try donating in their name. It will make you both feel good.

I also had a friend who had a blog donation contest. She said the winner of the contest would win something that she would knit – a hat, scarf, purse, socks, etc. It would be the winner’s choice. To enter her contest she had people send her verification that they had donated money to a particular charity (in this case Doctors Without Borders). Then, she put all the names of the donors into a hat, pulled out a name and the winner got a lovely piece of knitware. (In this case I happened to be the winner and got a lovely handbag!)

Maybe you don’t have the money to donate. So, donate time or something else you do have. Donate blood. Have a yard sale and donate the proceeds. Sell all your books and CDs on Amazon and donate what you earn from that. Volunteer. Go through your closet and pull out all those clothes you’ll never fit in again and drop them off at the local donation bin or maybe to Goodwill or Midnight Mission or Out of the Closet (to name some of the charities around here).

3) Be consistent. Many organizations that get contributions during a disaster need those same contributions year round. While you might be moved to give $100 after hearing about the earthquake in Haiti, it might actually do more good if you had donated $20 a month over 5 months. In this climate it might be difficult to promise a consistent amount each month simply because you may not know your income from month to month, but consider trying it. Make it a “deal” where for every $25 you put in your savings, you send $25 to a charity.

4) Keep looking. It could be that none of the above charities floats your boat. You want to give, but you want it to be more local or you want to connect somehow. Maybe you were a Campfire Girl or your grandfather had Alzheimer’s or you’re thankful for what Planned Parenthood did for you when you didn’t have health care and needed an exam. Maybe you’d rather spend time and money through your local rotary or business association or teach someone to read. Maybe there’s an organization out there in your field that has a group of people who donate time and money to somehow make the world a better place. The point is keep looking until you find the charity that feels right for you.

Giving feels good for both the giver and the receiver. It expands our world, helps pull us out of our own problems and appreciate what we have. Don’t wait until the next disaster to find a way to help.