Even the most cash-strapped do-gooder can find ways to help people without spending a dime. If you are truly committed to helping the less fortunate, there are no excuses. Money doesn’t have anything to do with it. All you need to do is to share whatever you have — used clothes, time, interests, and resources. You’re going to change a lot of lives by committing yourself to doing good.
For instance, you may not be able to attend an NF fundraising campaign because, well, you don’t have the funds to share. But that does not mean you cannot do something for the cause. You can contribute your time. You can be an usherette for the guests. You can work with the caterers to serve the food. You can host the event. Charitable activities don’t always need to involve money. Sometimes, the best thing is volunteering your precious time.
Donate Things You Don’t Need
Do you have clothes and shoes lying around the house that you haven’t used in a year? Forget about the KonMari method. If you haven’t used a shirt in a year, you can give it away. It’s as simple as that. Give away used clothes, shoes, books, and toys. In many parts of the world, children and adults don’t have access to things that you take for granted.
Help People Find Jobs
They say that instead of giving fish to the hungry, you should teach them how to fish. That knowledge will last them for a long time. This is the same principle that applies to jobseekers. You can volunteer at a job search center. Help people create resumes, get ready for job interviews, and look for jobs that fit their skills.
Teach the Illiterate
There are still millions of people who don’t know how to read or write. They need people who are going to teach them. Reach out to an international agency that funds these programs. Volunteer a month or two to teach people in far-flung areas of the world. This is the best gift you can give them. The knowledge of writing or reading will protect these people from being abused by their governments and businesses.
Organize a Cleanup Drive
The work that you do for the environment is good work. Just because it has no direct effect on people doesn’t mean that it’s not charitable. Making sure that people stop depleting natural resources will benefit everyone in the end. Invite your friends and neighbors to a cleanup drive. You might only have to spend on refreshments.
Send Mail
You need to spend snail mail, but it is fairly cheap. Send an encouraging letter by post to a senior citizen who’s cooped up in a retirement home. How about sending a letter to a soldier deployed to war-torn countries? Help them remember that even if they are far away from their families, they are fighting the good fight. Ask your children to make colorful drawings so that you can send those, too. You never know how much other people need even just a bit of encouragement.
The world is full of people in need and causes you can support. You don’t need hundreds of dollars to show that you care. Your time is enough to make a difference. Don’t be so stingy with it.
