How to Help The Less Fortunate During the Holidays

Introduction

• Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, the holidays can be a time to reflect on all of the things that you have to be thankful for (Friends, Family, Food, Work, etc). But it can also be a great opportunity to turn your attention to individuals and families who may, for one reason or another, not be as fortunate as you. Although the holidays can often be a hectic time, taking some time out to help those who are less fortunate can serve to remind you and your family of the true nature of the holidays. Here are some tips on giving back this holiday season.

Volunteer Your Time

• One of the most popular ways to give back during the holiday season is to volunteer your time at a local soup kitchen, food bank or charity. The holidays are a particularly busy time for most charitable organizations and any amount of time, energy or expertise you can provide will be extremely appreciated.

Step 1: Find A Local Charity

• The first step to volunteering is to find a charity that needs help during the holiday season. Since you're probably going to be volunteering in your free time, it's usually a good idea to find one relatively close to your home. Here are some tips for finding a local charity:

1. Start by doing an online search. Check out volunteer search services such as Network for Good, Volunteer Match and 1-800-Volunteer to help locate and identify charities in your area. Simply type in your state and zip code for a list of local organizations.
2. Take a look through your local area phone book under the Charity, Soup Kitchen and Food Bank sections. Write down the phone numbers and addresses of the charities you find.
3. Contact your local church, mosque, synagogue or other religious institution to find out if they have any volunteer opportunities available for the holiday season.
4. Once you're done searching, make a list of 4 or 5 charities in your area that you might want to volunteer for.

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  (Creative Commons photo by Jon Roberts)

Step 2: Contact Those Charities

1. Start by calling each of the charities or organizations on your list.
2. Ask to speak to whoever coordinates their charitable programs.
3. Find out if they actually need volunteers. Some organizations may have all of the volunteers that they need or can handle, so it's always good to find out beforehand.
4. If they do need help, inquire about how you can go about signing up to volunteer.

Step 3: Decide How You Want To Help

• While most people picture volunteering as helping serve a large buffet dinner, soup kitchens and food banks usually need help in a number of areas. Here are some other areas you might want to think about helping out with:

1. Pick up food or clothing donations and/or do an inventory of the items.
2. If you have cooking skills, offer to help cook the meal.
3. Help set up for and clean up after the meal.
4. Put up promotional flyers for the event.

Donate Food

• If you don't have enough free time to volunteer, another great way to help out is to donate food to a local charity or food bank. Food donations are welcome any time of year, but are especially helpful during the holiday season. Here are a few tips for donating food.

Things to Keep In Mind

1. Call your local charity or food bank and inquire about exactly what types of food they need. Each organization is different and may have different needs.
2. Most food banks prefer non-perishable canned food items, such as canned vegetables, soups, sauces, etc.
   • Organizations that serve free meals may appreciate perishable food items as well.
3. If you're feeling really ambitious, you can hold a food drive and invite others to help you collect food.
   

   Donate food to your local food bank (Creative Commons photo by James)
4. Take any food that you have collected directly to your local food bank.
5. Make sure that you check the expiration dates on any food items you will be donating. Bad food is worse than no food at all.

Resources for Donating Food

• • GiveSpot.com: Donate Food
  • Second Harvest: Donate Food
  • USDA.gov: A Citizen's Guide to Food Recovery
  • eHow: How to Donate Food to a Soup Kitchen

Give Money To Charity

Step 1: Find a Charity

Network for Good's search function

• Not every charity is a good match for your donation desires. If you're a vegetarian, for example, it's unlikely you'll want to donate to Hunters For the Hungry, no matter how much you believe in feeding those in want. But with a million charities or more out there, it's very likely there's one that does exactly what you want. You just need to find it. Fortunately, the Internet is here to help!

1. Go to Network For Good.
2. In the upper left hand corner, you'll find a form headed "find any charity". Check the appropriate box: "I want to donate" or "I want to volunteer".
3. Fill in any keywords you are specifically interested in (for example, "vegetarian", "refugee" or "blind").
4. If you know the name of the charity you're interested in, type it under "Charity Name".
5. If you are looking for a charity in a specific city or region, fill in the city, state and/or zip code fields.
6. Under "Area of Interest", use the pull-down menu to select any specific areas of interest.
7. Click "Search".
8. You'll be presented with a list of charities fitting your criteria.
9. If you'd like to learn more about a charity, click the button labeled "Research" under the charity name. You will find more specifics about what they do, and about their funding.

Step 2: Research The Charity

• If you're going to give money to charity, you probably want to make sure they're using it properly. There are a number of tools on the Internet that will allow you to check out a charity. Plus there are several steps you take on your own to find out if a charity is worthwhile.

  Charity Navigator's filter function

1. Go to Charity Navigator.
2. In the field labeled "Charity Search", type the name of the organization you wish to search for.
3. You will be given a list of organizations that match the name you entered.
   • Charity Navigator bases its information on IRS form 990, which is available from any non-religious charity upon request. This form lists the charity's financial information.
   • Religious organizations such as the Salvation Army do not need to file form 990. Some volunteer their financial information to Charity Navigator, but many do not and thus are not evaluated.
   • Charity Navigator also does not evaluate 501(c)(4) organizations, as not all donations to them are tax deductible.
4. Each organization is given a star rating, from 0 to 4 stars.
   • Four stars means "exceptional".
   • Three stars means "good".
   • Two stars means "needs improvement".
   • One star means "poor".
   • No stars? "Exceptionally poor".
5. If you want to narrow your results, use the sidebar on the left to filter by charity category, state, rating, size, and other factors.
6. If you want more in-depth information on a charity, click on its name.
7. You will see a sheet showing why it has received its rating, as well as other financial and background information, and, at the bottom of the page, a list of similar charities.
   • If the charity is spending more than 40% of its money on fundraising and administrative costs, it is probably not wise to donate to them.
8. If the charity looks good, you can donate by using the "Donate Now through Network for Good" button in the left-hand column.
9. If the charity is not listed with Charity Navigator, then call the charity directly to ask how much of the money you donate will be used for administrative purposes, instead of used to help the people you want to help.

Other charity research sites

• JustGive.org: Find, research and donate with this site. It has more charities than Charity Navigator, but you must interpret any financials yourself.
• Give.org: A list of national charities that meet the Better Business Bureau's standards for charitable organizations.
• CharityChoices.com: Lists charities that are a part of the Combined Federal Campaign.
• American Institute of Philanthropy: rates charities with letter grades, but paid membership is required to see most reviews.

Step 3: Protect yourself

• Even if the charity looks legitimate, you should take several steps to protect yourself.
  

  Photo by Sophie

1. If they want you to give money right this second, without giving you time to do research, they may not be trustworthy.
2. If the person asking for your money wants you to make a check out to them instead of the named organization, don't give them money.
3. Just because the organization is tax-exempt, does not mean your donation is automatically tax-deductible. If it is important that your donation be tax-deductible, ask first.
4. Fraudulent organizations often have names very similar to legitimate ones. Make sure the organization you're donating to is the one you want to donate to!
5. If you've received a phone call to request a donation, chances are the caller is being paid 25% to 95% of what they're obtaining. Most telemarketing for charity is a for-profit operation. If you like the charity, contact them and donate directly.
6. Get a receipt. Keep a paper trail.
7. Donate by check or credit card - it gives you another way to make sure your money went where you wanted it to go.

Give The Gift of Charity

• A great alternative to giving money directly to your favorite charity is to give someone else the opportunity to give to charity as a gift. Whether it's a Charity Gift Certificate (which allows the recipient to choose the specific charity of their choice) or a donation made in the recipient's honor, charitable gifts can be a wonderful substitute for traditional holiday gifts. Here are some resources for giving the gift of charity:

1. JustGive.org: Allows you to purchase a gift certificate that can be redeemed by the recipient and used for the charity of their choice.
2. Make A Wish Foundation: Gives you the opportunity to make a donation in someone's honor, or as a memorial to someone who has died.
3. CharityChoice Gift Cards: Purchase a tax deductible gift card that can be redeemed at your recipients chosen charity.

Get Your Family Involved

• What's better than the feeling of satisfaction you get from helping out those who need it most? Having your entire family contribute to the effort! There are a number of benefits to getting your family involved in helping others during the holidays:

1. Helps Bring Your Family Together: Shared activities can make a family feel more connected and can be a fun way to spend your free time.
2. Teaches Your Children that Community Service is Good: A sense of the importance of community service and giving back is usually learned at an early age.
3. Helps Out Your Community: Volunteering locally can help give your children a better sense of community involvement and interaction.

Conclusion

• The satisfaction that comes from making a difference in the lives of others cannot be overstated. Knowing that you've helped make someone else's holiday a little bit brighter is a special feeling, and one that will last with you even after the holidays are over. So if you're looking for a way to enhance your holiday experience, try giving back this year. You'll be glad you did.

Resources

• Find a Charity: Network for Good
• Volunteering: Volunteer Match
• 1-800-Volunteer: Find Volunteer Opportunities in Your Area
• The Salvation Army: Volunteer | Donate
• Second Harvest: America's Food Bank Network
• Food for Others: Donate Food
• Senior Corps: Find a Volunteer Opportunity
• Lifehacker: Charity: Find a charity you can trust
• Frugal For Life: Save Money, Don't Give to Charity Scammers
• TheStreet.com: Wise Giving: How to Find the Perfect Charity (May 8, 2007)
• FOXNews.com: Beware of California Wildfire Charity Scams (October 26, 2007)
• American Institute of Philanthropy: Tips for Giving Wisely to Charity
• Give.org: Tips on Charitable Giving
• Charity Navigator: Top 10 Best Practices of Savvy Donors
• Association of Fundraising Professionals: Fundraising Competition Increases as U.S. Charities Number 800,000

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