Making a Difference: 5 Ways to Donate to Charity

Donating to charity is a worthwhile cause. You know that already, of course. It is a way to support causes, big or small, that make a difference. It could be to help everything from a local animal shelter to cancer research. 

Yet do you do enough in this area? Do you donate enough to charitable causes? While any type of donation is greatly appreciated, you might be surprised at the different ways in which you are able to help. For more information about that, here are five different ways to donate to charity. 

1. Leave a donation in your will 

Okay, you might not be quite ready to be thinking about putting together a will just yet. Yet leaving a legacy gift is one of the best ways to donate to a charity. Say you want to donate to a wildlife charity once you are gone. In this case, it is possible to put something in your will that sends a portion of the money to your chosen charity. 

You will want to ensure your loved ones are taken care of first. Yet, if you have enough savings to spare, a legacy donation is a fantastic way to support a charity. 

2. Donate your time 

It doesn’t necessarily have to be financial support you provide to a charity. It is possible to donate your time and assist in that way. Many charity organizations are dependent on the support given by volunteers. 

Whether it is a charity shop or an animal shelter, a helpful pair of hands is typically welcomed by organizations. Even if you can only donate one or two hours each week, this will be greatly appreciated. 

3. Employee gift-matching program 

Once only prevalent across the United States and Canada, the practice of gift-matching is quickly growing in popularity in the UK. This is where a company matches your donation amount when supporting a non-profit of its choice. So, if you donated £1, your company would match this with £1. 

If the company you work for offers a gift-matching program, consider using this to enhance your charitable donations. If this is not something offered by your employer, bring it up to see if they will incorporate it in the future. 

4. Do a fundraiser 

There are many different options available when it comes to fundraising. This could be everything from participating in a fun run to organising an event. An effective fundraising campaign can help to generate a lot of money for your charitable cause. You can receive donations from family, friends, colleagues, the community, etc., and build up a healthy pot to donate. 

5. Donate your possessions 

Do you have any unwanted possessions that are gathering dust? One way of shifting these possessions on is to donate them to charity. By doing this, your charity of choice – if they accept donations in this way – can sell these to raise money. Alternatively, you might decide to be proactive and sell these items on your own and then donate the money you gain from these sales.