Philanthropy Charitable Giving

What Makes a Good Volunteer?

Organising, researching and planning a volunteer placement is a crucial part of the volunteering experience; but what really matters is how you conduct yourself on the ground when you finally get involved in the volunteering work you planned for.

So how should you conduct yourself? First of all, you need to show commitment and dedication to your work. This will probably come easily as you could only plan such an endeavour if your heart is in it but it still worth noting. Read more…

5 Tips for Online Charity Donations

Charity Begins @ Your Home Page this holiday season. Why? Because charitable giving has gone online with just about everything else we all encounter in our daily lives in the age of Social Media. The “iBuyiHelp concept” of giving is gradually replacing the image of the charity volunteer – outside – and braving the cold to fill a can with change for the sick, hungry and homeless. According to a recent study by the Chronicle of Philanthropy: 62 percent reported that they were using some form of social media as part of their online fund-raising efforts. This includes receiving donations associated with the use of shoppers’ toolbars.

The huge dollar amounts are not quite there yet (overall online charitable giving), but the reasons for this have much more to do with Web-related “growing pains” than lack of interest in donating online on the part of most givers. Read more…

The Financial Case for Donating an Old Boat

One of the best ways to get a funny look from someone’s face is to tell them you are interested in giving your boat away as charitable donation. They may think you are actually crazy to be giving away an older boat that you have grown tired of, but there are actually some great reasons to do so. First of all we are in a buyers market right now. That means the economy has driven prices of everything down so much because there are fewer buyers who are interested or able to make a purchase. So if you are trying to sell a boat for example, you have to list it and hope to get calls.

Well first you would only hear from those interested in what you are selling and have the money to spend it. However, you are already at a serious disadvantage. If you are trying to sell your boat for $5,000 you are going to hit a problem. Unless your boat is really worth twice that and you are just trying to sell it fast, people are going to research and pick apart every bit of information to try and get your price down because they know there may be a better deal out there. Read more…

Discover Charity Cars – Budget-Friendly Vehicles at Weekly Auctions

Looking for a vehicle, but on a budget? Keep an eye out vehicles at charity auto auctions. Many car donation charities hold weekly auctions where they sell vehicles of all makes, models, and conditions at deep discounts. These auctions are open to the public but oftentimes are a hidden secret within the automotive industry. If you’re tight on cash, these auctions could be great way to obtain a vehicle at an inexpensive price. The average price of vehicle sold is anywhere between $800 and $1000, with many vehicles selling under that price point.

So where do these vehicles come from and how are they able to be sold so cheaply? It all starts with a charity. Non-profits rely on fundraising campaigns to keep their organization running and car donation programs are just one method of fundraising that they participate in. When a charity receives a donated vehicle, it is then scheduled to be sold at the charity auto auctions. These public auctions normally take place every week or every two weeks. Read more…

Gift Giving That Makes a Difference

My sister’s birthday is right around the corner and I’ve been thinking of what to give her. She is an amazing woman and deserving of all manner of wondrous and amazing gifts and blessings. Guess what? She doesn’t need anything. She may not want anything except another grandchild and that is so out of my control.

The gift that keeps on giving

My sister is someone who continually gives to others. She is the head honcho of the largest non-profit in one of the largest cities in the United States. Giving and making a difference in other’s lives is her life. I thought about making a donation to a charity she would support. Although she works for a non-profit in the community, my thought was to make a donation in her name to something outside of the community… such as Heifer International. Read more…