Different ways you can donate and make a difference

A lot of us want to give something to the world and make a difference. Maybe that’s you, too. We mean… you read the title of this article and you’re here. Most of us know that one of the easiest ways to make a difference is to donate. But donating itself is not so easy. Questions like what to donate, where, when, and whom to donate to deter a lot of people from donating.

Today, we’ll try and making donating a little easier for you by answering some of these questions. We’re categorizing by what resources you can donate, and including further details with it.

1. Money

Money is the most obvious answer to, “What can you donate?” But you want your money to make the most impact, to do the most good. The first question you should ask yourself when donating money is if there’s a cause you’re really passionate about. If you’re able to pinpoint a cause, there’s a good chance that there’s a charity for that cause. Don’t go donating just yet, vet that charity; see how they spend their money, what kind of difference they’ve made in the world and whether it’s been for good or not. If you prefer helping locally instead, there are plenty of ways you can do that as well. You can anonymously sponsor someone through college, buy a family groceries when they’re struggling, or even support your local animal shelter.

2. Time

If you’re unable to donate money, don’t worry. There’s something even better you can donate. Time is the most valuable resource we have. You can make a ton of difference donating your time and volunteering. Here are some places that would love your helping hand:

– Food pantries and soup kitchens

– Animal shelters

– Nursing homes – Libraries

– Homeless shelters

If you’d prefer to donate your time by teaching people, you can register as a volunteer at the National Literacy Directory and teach people of all ages essential life skills.

3. Clothing and accessories

Donating clothes and other accessories seems rather straightforward, take out your old clothing, shoes, and other wearables, and give them to a charity. What most people don’t know is that, when you give your clothes to a charity, most of the time those clothes get sent abroad and most of it is sold for profit. If you’re not okay with that, we recommend finding someone personally to donate clothes to, or making sure that the charity you’re giving your clothes to will actually use them locally.

4. Toys, children’s movies, and books

There are many kids in foster homes and other kids in single-parent homes who are just yearning for love. It takes very little to make a huge difference in these kids’ lives. You can donate them toys, movies, books, etc. and you know they will always cherish this time, even when they’re adults. Nurturing kids can be one of the most rewarding experiences you can ever have.

Donating is one of the most fulfilling ways to give back to this world and we hope that, by reading this article, you were able to find some way you can make a difference. The most important thing to remember is that, even if you’re unable to donate, you can still make this world a better place by practicing kindness in your daily life.

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.