Give Christmas Cheer Without Spending a Penny
Volunteer with your family and look for organizations close to home.
Dec. 25, 2008 — -- It's the season of giving, and in these tough times there are so many people who could really use a hand right now.
Here are some simple ways for you to help without investing a penny:
Get started close to home. Look around not only for an organization close to where you live, but for something that utilizes the talents you already have, as well as your personal interests. Just about every school can use an extra pair of hands to help. A library may have a reading program. If there's a cause you're interested in, call directly to ask about volunteer opportunities.
If you don't know where to call or you're not wedded to one particular organization, then log onto volunteermatch.org, which is an online resource that connects volunteers with opportunities to give their time. More than 61,000 nonprofits use the site, which includes 54,000 opportunities. There's something in every zip code.
Search based on your location and relevant key words. Maybe you're interested in tutoring or mentoring or you want to devote time to animals or the environment. You'll get a list of opportunities and details on what's involved and who it's ideally suited for. The best part is you're likely to see multiple opportunities, so you can review to decide what the best fit is for you.
Involve your kids. The holiday time is a golden opportunity to instill the joy of giving -- rather than just receiving. If your family loves music, you can volunteer to gather the neighborhood kids and sing at a nursing home or elder care facility. At this time last year my kids were so inspired by the "Good Morning America" coat drive that they took all the money they had earned over the course of a year from several bake sales -- a whopping $1,000 -- and negotiated to buy kids coats at wholesale prices, which they donated to the show's efforts. But even taking your child to donate one new or gently-worn coat is a very valuable experience.
Shop and search on the right sites. The Web site GoodSearch.com works just like Yahoo -- it enables you to search for any kind of information, with a bonus. GoodSearch donates a penny to your chosen charity every time you search. The site is linked to more than 70,000 charities, and those pennies add up.
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