5 Impactful Ways to Donate to Charities
Finding impactful ways to donate to charities is a worthy undertaking that creates a lasting effect on individuals, families, and communities. Over $400 billion is given to charitable organizations each year. In 2020, there was an increase in charitable contributions, which shows the essential roles that charities continue to have in our society.
Choosing your ways to donate is as personal as the charity you pick and the amount you decide to give. One-time donations, supplies, equipment, and ongoing donations are all popular ways to give when trying to support a cause that speaks to your heart.
1. One Time Donations
An easy and impactful way to donate to your favorite charity is with a one-time monetary gift. A one-time donation can be any amount that fits your budget and given during any time of the year. Charities appreciate these donations, and they certainly help keep operations running.
One-time donations offer the flexibility of giving when it fits into your financial budget the most. You can give one large lump sum at the end of the year or during a specific donation campaign that inspires you. For example, at Our Little Roses, many donors choose to donate during our matching gift campaigns that happen three times a year (Mother’s Day, our Annual Fund, and during Giving Tuesday). This allows your individual one-time donation to double or sometimes even triple in value when an anonymous benefactor matches the contribution with a donation of the same value themselves!
2. Recurring Donations
The idea of monthly or recurring donations isn’t new. Although with the ease of the internet, the process of giving monthly has become easier than ever. Instead of giving a large one-time donation of $600, you could split your donation up to $50 per month. With recurring donations, you can help your favorite charities even more than before without causing stress on your budget.
Recurring donations are a mutually beneficial way to donate to charities for the individual and the charity. The promise of monthly donations helps the charity plan for their year and builds consistent improvement projects.
3. Supplies and Goods
The act of physically giving supplies or goods to a charity you believe in is very powerful. This type of donation can be even more impactful if you teach your children about giving and helping others.
When choosing ways to donate, it is essential to contact the charity you want to work with and see what will work best for them. Of course, you want to give items that the charity needs and ensure your supplies can be used in the best possible way.
Some charities will include a page on their website that lists all the supplies, equipment, and goods they need. This makes the donation process easy and straightforward. If you are looking to help your favorite charity with larger items, it is essential to contact them directly. Depending on the charity’s location, there may be rules that have to be followed to give larger goods and equipment.
4. Program Sponsorships
One of the most impactful ways to donate to a charity is through sponsorship programs. By working in tandem with the charity, you can give to a specific child and build a long-lasting bond.
Sponsorship programs offer the ability to personalize your giving experience, enhancing your financial support while making a deeper impact. Through sponsorship, you will often receive updates from the child you sponsor or from the program coordinator. These ongoing updates are genuinely uplifting and can show just how far your sponsorship donation can go to change a child’s life.
5. Spreading the Word
Even when financial hardships prevent you from donating money to the charity of your choice, you can still help. Advocating for your favorite charities by sharing stories on social media, talking to friends, and sharing their stories are free ways to increase awareness.
You can use your preferred social media platform, whether through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or even Tik Tok, to connect your family, friends, and followers to your favorite charity. Including a personal note about why the charity is so important to you, and direct links to donate are easy ways to give back when you cannot give financially.
How Your Donations Impact the Girls at Our Little Roses
At Our Little Roses, we use donations in every aspect of our programming. Our generous donors help keep our programs running so we can help the 65+ girls in our care in many different ways. Our mission is to empower girls and young women to become confident, independent, contributing members of society through a strong education and loving environment. Three of our key programs include:
- A Home for the Girls – A full-time residential home for at-risk, neglected, abused, or abandoned girls in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
- Healthcare – Medical, dental, and mental health care to both the girls at Our Little Roses and the community.
- Educational Programs – We offer a variety of programs to suit the needs of each of the girls at Our Little Roses. From bilingual school to our in-house special education program, every girl at OLR is equipped with individual support and the right foundation to flourish.
In addition to these key programs, we also provide the girls with various enrichment and extracurricular activities including dance, art, drama, woodworking, and poetry classes! It is important to us that we offer the girls different ways to express themselves and for our donors to feel like part of our community through these various programs that they help fund.
We offer a wide variety of ways to make an impactful donation to Our Little Roses. Whether through physical or one-time donations, monthly giving, or sponsorships, every donation helps us provide for each of the girls in our care.
Donations of goods, services, and equipment can be beneficial as well. However, due to our location, it can be challenging to coordinate these types of donations, so we ask donors to contact us first before giving in this way.
Another unique aspect of our donation program is assigning your donation to one area of our programs. If you want your monthly donation to go toward the necessities such as food and clothing, we are happy to make that happen! On our donation page, we give several options and examples of how each of those works for the girls.
If you are looking for even more donation options, please check out details on donating through Donor Advised Funds, Charitable Gift IRA Rollovers, and even how you can secure the future for our girls through a legacy gift.
We are excited to welcome you into our family of donors and look forward to building a lifelong relationship with you and your family!