How to Help Charity For Free While On A Tight Budget This Holiday Season

There is something special about the holiday season that awakens a spirit of compassion and generosity in households across the nation. Each year families choose this time of year to make donations to their favorite charitable organizations. It is not hard to understand why. Who hasn’t stayed up late watching TV on a mid-December to watch Ebenezer Scrooge dance through the streets of London with Tiny Tim on his shoulders? Yes, it is easy to see why the holidays bring out the best in us.

This year many families will go into the holidays on a tight budget. The economic downturn has left many families with less money to buy gifts, travel to see relatives, and enjoy time off from work. Many may need to cut back on contributions to charity, or not give at all, out of necessity.

Luckily, there are many ways to contribute to charity that won’t cost you a cent.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• The holiday spirit of compassion and generosity
• A computer and Internet (not required)
• Something to donate to a good cause other than money

1. Support a Charity for Free Online:
   
   eBay has come up with an innovative way to donate money to charity without spending your own money. Members can use the Giving Works program to sell items on eBay and donate a portion of the final sale price to the charity of their choice. If you donate 100 percent of the final sale price to charity eBay will wave all insertion and final value fees by crediting your account.
   
   Think of eBay’s Giving Works as kind of an online auction for charity. Search your house for things you think are worth money and are willing to part to help a good cause. Ask your neighbors to donate a few items to auction off as well. Browse current eBay listings for similar items to make sure the item will sell and garner a worthwhile selling price. Do your research and create an appealing listing and you’ll be able to make a nice donation to one of the many charitable organization that have partnered with eBay through the Giving Works program.
   
   Many social media sites provide users with opportunities to support the charities of their choice for free. For example, Facebook members can join their favorite “Causes” and then recruit their friends to make donations. Change.org is another site that provides users with free fund raising and outreach tools they can use to support any number of worthwhile causes.

2. Donate Something Other Than Cash:
   
   The holidays are a time of giving, but they are also a time of receiving. After New Years take a moment to survey your belongings and pick out some things you don’t really need to donate to charity. Did you get a new jacket for Christmas? Drop off your old one at a Planet Aid box. Did you score a new iMac for Hanukah? Donate your old computer to your local Goodwill store.
   
   In most communities you can find numerous opportunities to donate food, toys, and clothing to a charity during the holiday season in most communities. Sometimes all you have to do is open a forgotten closet or take a trip to the attic to find your next holiday donation.

3. Volunteer Your Time:
   
   Volunteering is another way to help charity without spending money. The Salvation Army needs volunteer bell ringers to help with its annual fund raising drive during the holiday season. Many groups need volunteers to help prepare holiday mailings and send out thank you letters for donations. The possibilities are endless, but a great place to start your search in VolunteerMatch.org

Tips & Warnings

• As you can see there are many ways to give to charity without spending a dime this holiday season. When you get home tonight grab your favorite blanket, pour some hot cocoa, and put on your favorite holiday movie for inspiration and in the morning wake up ready to help make the world a better place!

Resources

• eBay Giving Works
• Facebook
• VolunterMatch.org