5 Ways to Give to Charity Without Giving Money

Sometimes it is really difficult to say “no” when the cashier asks if you would like to add just one dollar to your grocery bill and help fight cystic fibrosis. Chances are you feel guilty and when asked if you would like to donate two dollars to end Multiple Sclerosis, you just might cave. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, which is followed by Movember where the focus is on Men’s Health issues such as prostate and testicular cancer. While collecting dollars at the checkout is an effective way to raise research money for such worthy causes as these, you shouldn’t feel bad if you cannot spare the cash right now. There are a lot of ways you can give to charity without spending the cash you need for you and your family.  Here’s how you can help:

1. Give blood. According to Canadian Blood Services, 52 per cent of Canadians say they, or a family member, have needed blood or blood products for surgery or medical treatment. The truth is, your blood donation will do a lot more good than skipping your morning double-double to donate a dollar or two.  It takes 5 units of blood for a cancer treatment. It takes 8 units of blood, per week, to treat a leukemia patient. There is always a high demand for blood, and all the money in the world cannot be made into this much needed resource.  Visit bloodservices.ca to see how and where you can donate. If it helps take your mind off of the needle, you usually get a cookie and a sticker when you’re done.
2. Volunteer within your community. People tend to feel more charitable around major holidays, especially Christmas. Once the turkey dinners are dished out and the holiday spirit begins to dwindle, so does the help. There is a lot of preparation that goes into feeding those less fortunate, three meals a day. If serving isn’t your thing, go in and chop vegetables or assemble sandwiches for a while. There is a lot that can be done behind the scenes.  Many soup kitchens welcome groups. Grab a group of friends or co-workers and make a meaningful evening out of it.
3. Browse for a cause. Online shopping is bigger and better than ever. With the Holiday season approaching, you can actually raise money for your preferred charity while you shop. This does involve giving money, but it’s not money out of your pocket.  Browse for a Cause is a FireFox add-on that  works with online retail partners like Amazon to donate a percentage of the revenue generated from your online purchase, to the charity of your choice, on your behalf (around 3% to 5%).  It takes about 30 seconds to get started, and then you’re set. It just runs in the background so you don’t need to do anything differently once it’s installed.
4. Sign your Donor card. It’s definitely unpleasant to think about our own mortality, but what if you could save up to 8 lives after you are gone?  The Canadian Transplant Society states that with over 1,600 Canadians added to organ wait lists yearly, far too many people die before they get what they need.  Fact – A 90% majority of Canadians support organ and tissue donation, but less than 25% have made plans to donate.  It starts with signing your donor card, but make sure that you let your family know about your plans to donate.  Cards can get lost over time, so you can also register directly through the Canada Transplant Society website.  Can you imagine a bigger or better gift you could give to someone and their family?
5. Foster a Canadian Guide Dog for the Blind.  As it says on the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind official website, a working Guide Dog provides mobility and independence to the visually-impaired user. It takes a lot of time and effort to get these dogs trained. If you are willing to make a 12-18 month commitment, can attend meetings with supervisors, and have your own means of transportation, perhaps you would consider being a foster family to a 7-week old puppy that will grow into a guide dog. It’s a big responsibility but a tremendous gift that you can give.

While you may not be able to do all of these things, we’ll leave you with this quote to ponder.

“Sometimes those who give the most are the ones with the least to spare.”
-Mike McIntyre, The Kindness of Strangers

Filed under: Giving Back, Holidays & Events by Jenna
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