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Charitable Giving on a Budget

Although it’s still late summer, some people are ready to start planning for the season of giving. Gifts will be carefully chosen for family and friends, scrumptious desserts will be baked and ready to eat, and holiday decorations hung up around the house. What about giving back to the community though? Unfortunately most of us aren’t made of money so when it comes to charitable giving, planning a budget is a necessity. Here are a few tips to start planning for the upcoming holiday season!

 

Donate your clutter

Go through your house and clear out any unwanted items or things you don’t need that others could use more. Here are a few organizations to start with that accept donations:

http://www.valleyopendoors.com/

http://ourcommunityplace.org/

http://virginiasalvationarmy.org/harrisonburgva/

http://www.goodwillvalleys.com/

http://www.themercyhouse.org/

http://giftandthrift.org/

 

Pool your money

Create a small giving circle within your friends and family to pool all your money together and make one large donation to the organization of your choosing.

 

Set aside part of your income

Try to set aside at least 3% of your income on a regular basis to ensure you’ll have a little something to give and still have a separate pool of money for family gifts.

 

Employer match donations

Most corporate employers have matching funds or grants that match its employees’ charitable contributions. Some matching gifts are dollar-for-dollar but others can be double or triple the donation.

 

Blood/plasma donations

When donating money isn’t an option, don’t forget you can donate blood or plasma and some places even compensate you for your donation with cash (which can then be donated if you wish).

 

Donate your time

Finally, don’t forget you can always donate your time. A lot of organizations are always looking for extra hands to help out in the busy season of giving. Even if it’s only an hour of your time, anything helps!

Aren’t sure where help is needed? Check out these organizations below!

https://www.brafb.org/

http://www.themercyhouse.org/

http://ourcommunityplace.org/

www.bbshr.org/

http://virginiasalvationarmy.org/harrisonburgva/

http://www.uwhr.org/

https://www.sites.google.com/site/wrtcpublicrhetoric/home

 

Click on link below for a full list of local non-profit organizations.

http://www.tcfuwhr.org/index.php/site/a-z