Every Share Helps!

Well, they've started playing holiday music and my office is all decorated now...so I'm reposting this bit on volunteering for the winter holidays from last year--enjoy!

Volunteer Local

Local organizations are always looking for volunteers, and helping this season is a great way to engage your community, make new friends, and assist others in need.

For example, local chapters of Kiwanis International organize such projects as gifts for the homeless, and ornament and card making with local children. Find your group and see how you can get involved!

You also can organize a volunteer project of your own via international service groups. Samaritan’s Purse spearheads Operation Christmas Child, through which volunteers nationwide collect and wrap presents for children in underserved communities, and then donate the gifts through designated drop-off locations nationwide.

Donate

If you don’t have much time to give during the holidays, then consider a monetary donation to the charity of your choice.

Catholic Relief Services: 95% of CRS’ donations directly serve the communities in which they work. According to their website, gifts impact projects relating to “agriculture, building a civil society, education, emergency preparedness, health, HIV and AIDS, and small-business loans,” as well as emergency relief programs.

Heifer International: Through Heifer International, donors help fund development projects worldwide, as well as to provide training and animal gifts. These donations directly impact individual families, pulling them out of poverty and encouraging sustainability within communities. In FY2009, Heifer International’s expenses accounted for 63.3% international development programs, 17.8% fundraising support, 12.7% education programs, and 6.2% management and general support.

American Jewish World Service: AJWS’ projects include grantmaking for grassroots projects in Africa, Asia, and North and South America; volunteer travel; education initiatives; and advocacy for issues such as peace in Sudan, foreign assistance reform, and more. The organization’s expenditures break down to 86% for their global programs, 7.5% for fundraising, and 6.5% for administrative fees.

No matter how much time you have available and would like to give during this holiday season, there is an opportunity and a need. Whether you’d like to spend an evening in a soup kitchen, host a daylong gift wrapping party for needy families, or give a monetary donation to the charity of your choice, you’ll  find the perfect idea to make your holiday this year fulfilling—both for yourself and for those who receive your support.

So, do you have holiday plans? A favorite charity or cause? Post 'em below!