Giving back to your community through donation is one of the best ways you can show your support—and when I do, it truly helps me feel like I have made a difference. While donating to a worthy cause is important, over my life I have learned that there is a lot more you can do to better support these organizations and the people they serve.
Donate Your Time and Skills
Do you have a skill that could help the organization to better serve their community? Dentists or hairstylists may donate their time and skills to help those who normally could not afford to access their services. Are you good at bookkeeping or digital marketing? You could help save non-profit organizations time and resources through volunteering to help keep their processes and marketing efforts running smoothly.
Don’t Be Afraid to Roll Up Your Sleeves
Nothing feels more rewarding than getting down to the grassroots level and directly seeing what impact your efforts have on those in need. Take part in a home-building project or packing food boxes at your local food bank; you will feel a greater sense of appreciation and understanding of the beneficiaries and make memories that you will treasure for the rest of your life.
Use Your Reach
Utilize your influence and social platforms to talk about your favourite charity and become an outspoken storyteller that encourages others to get involved. Talk to your colleagues at work about this organization’s cause, and find opportunities to plan events and raise money as a team.
Spend Smarter
Choose products that support charitable organizations that are important to you. Charitable organizations sell everything from new and used appliances, furniture, and clothing, to shampoo, food, and even jewellery.
If you are looking for a charitable organization to donate to, I encourage you to check out the SAAAC Autism Centre. Their mission is to make autism services equitable for all Canadians. There’s also Goodness Gift, which believes in helping people with autism learn to use their gifts. Computek College sent Goodness Gift baskets out last holiday season and they were a huge hit!
My family foundation donated the prize to the winning team at last year’s Paddle for Good charity ping pong tournament—an event that combined business and philanthropy. I can’t wait for a rematch when this tournament can run again.
If you need ideas for getting involved, giving back, or creating a legacy, have a look at my website or please get in touch with me. I’m more than happy to help because together we can make a difference!
