Donating When You Don’t Have the Money

No extra money? No problem!

I love to help others in any way that I can, particularly non-profit charities. But here’s the problem– a lot of times I just don’t have the extra monetary resources to help, or to help as much as I would like to, or to help all of the charities that I would like to. I always wish that I could come into money for this reason alone– I would actually have the funds to help in the way that I wish to.

But just because you are on a tight budget does not mean that you cannot do your part. There are plenty of ways to donate without spending a cent. I am going to provide you with a few of my favorite ways:

• Donate Blood– I grew up watching my sister give blood. Believe it or not, both of my parents and at least one aunt have required the use of blood during medical emergencies. Even as a kid, I was anxious to gain enough weight to be able to donate blood. Whether you have blood centers or blood drives in your area, donating blood can literally save someone’s life, and the only cost to you is a few minutes of your time.
• Surveys/Points Donate Points/Money– Many survey companies and points rewards programs offer you the opportunity to donate your earnings to charitable organizations, such as MyCokeRewards, MyPoints, OpinionSquare, Swagbucks, and AC Nielsen HomeScan/National Consumer Panel, just to name a few.
• Use coupons– I may not have cats, but I love them, and I like to donate to local animal shelters. Often if I get coupons or samples for free or greatly reduced cat or dog food or other pet supplies, even if I do not use them myself, I will get them to donate to the shelter.
• Donate goods– When you have items that you are no longer using, instead of selling them or throwing them away, you can donate them instead. Whether it be clothes, toys, books, electronics, or even cars, there are charities ready to take and use them. Some charities will even pick them up from your house. I have mentioned previously how I donate my greeting card fronts to charity. Once a year during spring, the USPS holds their Stamp Out Hunger food drive, providing a bag and donation pick-up, thereby making it very easy to donate some food to help food pantries. Most of us should have a canned non-perishable or box of food in our own homes that can be contributed.
• Use your blog– If you have a blog, you can help charitable funds or those that may be raising funds for them without spending a cent. You can give the gift of advertising by promoting the worthwhile cause using your blog or website– write a blog post or feature a button supporting the cause. It may encourage someone else to find out more about the charity, and in turn, donate their time, goods, or money to help do their part. Don’t underestimate the power of influence: A friend of mine shared about her participation with Operation Christmas Child, and it encouraged me to seek out information and participate the next time around.
• Donate time– Even if you are short on money, but can spare a little time, many non-profit organizations need volunteers to assist them in their efforts. Whether you spend your time reading to kids, transporting senior citizens, or walking dogs, you can do your part by donating just a little of your time.
• Collect from companies– I simply cannot afford to buy every time that my children’s schools have fundraisers. However, I try to do my part by collecting Box Tops for Education and Campbell’s Labels for Education. One time I even passed out the fun and practical collection sheets to the grandparents that Box Tops provides, and it got them into the action. Not only did they donate Box Tops then, but they provide us with envelopes full of Box Tops to be donated to our children’s schools whenever we see them. Recently, I started eating Yoplait yogurt again, so I saved the Save Lids to Save Lives lids, entered the codes online, and mailed them into the company at the end of the year.
• Web searches/purchases– Different websites and toolbars can be utilized to provide donations to your chosen non-profit organization every time that you search. Whether you want to donate to a political party, international aid charity, or school, you let your searches or purchases do the donating when you use websites like GoodSearch, GiveBackAmerica, or OneCause.
• Take advantage of web campaigns– Nowadays there are more opportunities than ever to donate using someone else’s money. Companies are not only giving donations to charities, but requesting that customers assist them in the process, often allowing them to determine the final monetary amount donated or which charity to donate to. On social media like Facebook or Twitter, companies will often ask for comments, ‘Likes’, votes, game plays, clicks, activity participation, ‘retweets’, or ‘shares’ in exchange for donating $1 per participant, for example. A blogger recently asked readers to leave a comment on a blog post, and she would put aside $5 per person in a fund to help needy individuals. Some companies may make a donation for each purchase that is made on their website. The Animal Rescue Site allows you to donate bowls of food for animals with just one daily click of your mouse, and they will send you a daily email to remind you to do it– it only takes a second or two to do your part.
• Donate cell phone/eyeglasses/cartridges, etc.– Eyeglasses with outdated prescriptions can be donated to charities like the Lions Club International Eyeglass Recycling Program that will provide them to those in need. Cell phones can be donated to Cell Phone for Soldiers to allow troops to be able to communicate with their families. You can donate ink cartridges and toner to support troops through Operation Shoebox , a charity that sends care packages to military members. These are just a few examples of discards that can turn into money-raising donations.

If you itemize your deductions, you may be able to claim your donations of money or goods. Please contact a tax professional to confirm if your donations are eligible for deduction off your taxes. I personally am not able to take advantage of this benefit at this point, but I do get the benefit of helping others out, even while on a tight budget.

Something about this topic reminds me of the Little Drummer Boy...you always have something to give, even if it's not money.