Friday 5 January 2024

3 Ways You Can Give Back This Holiday Season

 When it comes to the holiday season a lot of people think about what they would like to receive rather than what they can do to give. When you are in that kind of mentality you are failing to see the true spirit of the holidays which is goodwill, cheer, and giving to others.

If you would like to try to focus more on giving back and want some ideas for how you can do it, look no further. Here are some of the best ways that you can do a charitable deed this holiday season, and give back instead of just receiving.

Have you ever given a gift to a complete stranger? Sometimes it can be easy to make judgments about people that we see on the street who have a drug problem or are dirty with tattered clothing. However, what we don’t think about often enough is that these are still real people with real feelings.


Give a Gift To a Stranger

Making the gesture of giving a gift to someone who you see on the street could not only make their day but change their life. It doesn’t have to be anything lavish. Ideas include a basket of food, a warm blanket, or even clothing.


Not only is it fulfilling for the person you are giving to but it’s also a boost of satisfaction for you as well. Giving can often be even more satisfying than receiving in many situations.


Donate To Charity

Donating to a charitable cause is something that you can do if you don’t have a very flexible schedule. With just a few clicks of a mouse, you can send funds to people anywhere in the world.


This can be one of the simplest yet most straightforward and effective ways to give back this holiday season.


Volunteer

Volunteering is something that is a great way to give back selflessly. There are many options for ways that you can volunteer. One of the most popular during the holidays is in a soup kitchen for homeless people.


By serving those in need a warm meal on a special day during the holidays you can help brighten their lives.


Why not organize volunteering with a big group of your friends. This way you can all enjoy each other on the holidays while you are working, rather than feeling like you are missing out somehow.


Believe it or not, these volunteer spots fill up quickly so call around at various soup kitchens and see where they are still looking for volunteers. It is usually best to try a few weeks ahead rather than the last minute. You may find that the giving spirit of volunteering becomes an addiction.

5 Businesses That Embrace Philanthropy




 When you spend more than forty hours a week working for an organization, you want to go home with a good feeling.  You want to know that all of your hard work is going towards building something positive in the world.

If you’re on the hunt for a company worth promoting, look no further.  Here is a brief overview, featuring some of the most philanthropic business operations in the nation.  Read through, and start preparing your resume today.

Intuit

Even if you have some reservations about working for a large company, Intuit will change your mind.  The business offers 32 hours of paid time for employees to spend helping out in their local communities.  What’s better than getting paid to help others?

You have the choice of how you help.  You can work in a local food bank, a soup kitchen, or even a local home building operation.  Maybe you have a heart for spreading the benefits of a solar powered home.  Whatever best suits your skill set, Intuit will pay you to give back.

Salesforce

Employees working for Salesforce are consistently encouraged to donate their time and muscle power to giving back to their local communities and the world.  The company has more than 20,000 employees worldwide.

To date, Salesforce has donated more than $137,000,000 over the course of its existence.  Salesforce headquarters are located in San Francisco, California, but you don’t have to be in Cali to work for this giving organization.

NuStar Energy

NuStar Energy has something they call the NuStar Volunteer Council, and this volunteer council is dedicated to organizing charitable events and donations for helpful organizations aimed towards saving the lives of others.  

NuStar commonly allows employees the use of company time to work sponsored events.  The business retains a close relationship with charitable organisations such as the Ronald McDonald House, the YMCA, and the San Antonio Haven for Hope.

AutoDesk

AutoDesk is an organization that strives to spread education throughout, and even offers free software grants for interested professionals.  The business also works to boost promising startup operations which meet a specified criterion.

AutoDesk also offers their employees the chance to volunteer on company time.  In addition, there’s an option to donate $100 of your pay after working 10 hours in the field.

Patagonia

Patagonia is aimed towards natural preservation, and the company commits its time and resources to environmental advocacy on the regular.  Patagonia headquarters is in Ventura, California.  

The longstanding organization provides healthy food options for its employees, features an onsite childcare center, and even donates one percent of all its earnings to various nonprofit organizations around the world.

Verifying Credibility When Donating

 

Look, we aren’t saying that charities are out to scam people and that you should only be donating to the most well-known options. That’s far from true.

There are several charities that might not have the fame of organizations like the Red Cross but still do amazing work.

PeoplesWater.org (also known as Agua de Pueblo) is one NGO that has done a lot toward making potable water and sanitation available to more people. PeoplesWater was even recognized as the first NGO in the world that focused on these core issues. 

In addition, they have a strong focus on community development and have helped more than 500,000 people with their projects. PeoplesWater is the sort of NGO that donors who don’t do enough research may overlook due to the high competition in the charity world. 

This NGO has been active since the early 70s, and that longevity brings us to another important point about credibility. 

It is not easy for a charity with poor credibility to linger on for extended periods. They will get reported, lose their donors, and even be penalized by the government. Therefore, it makes sense to look at older charities that have been around long enough to build credibility and a track record of actually being able to make a difference. 

There are a few ways to verify the credibility of a charity. They include:

  1. Are they registered?: If the charity you are donating to is based in the U.S., then they are required by law to register with the IRS / State government. Check the website of the NGO you are planning to donate to and see if they have an EIN (Employer Identification Number) which you can then look up on the IRS website.
  2. They insist on payments by wire transfers/gift cards: Ideally, you want to be donating only via credit cards, cheques, or directly through their website. If you are donating via a website, ensure that you see the “https” instead of “http.” A “https” before the address implies that the information being sent is safe.
  3. They don’t rely on guilt-tripping advertisements: Respectable charities avoid trying to make potential donors feel guilty if they choose not to donate. 

Some charities like to prey on people’s emotions and fearmonger by implying that if you don’t donate, there are going to be horrible consequences. 

Similarly, some of them often use images and videos of animals and children 

in vulnerable states that they know will arouse emotions in people. A credible organization won’t resort to such tactics.

Conclusion

Well, there you have it, two essential elements to be aware of. Donating to a charity needs to be done with prudence and caution. You can donate to less privilege through this website https://www.fohmint.com (Fountain of Hope)

Paying attention to the actual impact that a charity or NGO is able to make is far more important than mentions of 20,000 blankets provided or 1,000 vaccinations administered. 

Similarly, one needs to look at the overall track record of the charity. These days, swanky marketing campaigns can easily help even the more shady organizations look reputable. You really want to be careful and carry out considerable research before making a donation. 

How to recognize the false prophets

 How to recognize the false prophets

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