When people think about charity, many first think about money. Lots of us are in times of hardship so every penny goes on bills and feeding our families. There are alternative ways to give to charity without handing over money. Here’s a few top ideas.
Donate Your Things
One of the most obvious things to do is to have a good clear out of things in your home that you no longer want or need. Good quality items can be sent to charity shops where they can be sold to raise funds for the charity. Think about what you can donate, from DVDs and clothes to toys and artwork. A lot of people use charity donation bins as actual bins. Don’t be one of those people. If it’s trash, throw it away. If it still has life in it, donate it so you can help elderly people, the homeless or fight back against a disease.
Donate Your Bike
Your old bicycle can be fixed up and used in other countries to make a real difference. There is an amazing charity called Re-Cycle who are making a real difference. Bikes help children get to school, people collect and transport more water, bring communities together. Give to charity in this way and you are changing people’s lives for the better.
Donate Your Old Computer
Do you have old computers in your wardrobe or loft? Why have them cluttering up your space when they could be doing some good? Just because they’re old doesn’t mean they aren’t useful. WeeeCharity are a non profit organisation raising funds by recycling computers and electrical gear. What an easy way to help raise money for charity!
Donate Your Wedding Dress
If you’ve had your amazing wedding day in the gown of your dreams, it could be put to good use, rather that hidden away from the world in a box. You can donate your wedding dress to Gift Of A Wedding where it will be used for the wedding of someone who is terminally ill. Imagine putting a smile on the face of a bride who is marrying the love of their life knowing they’re going to pass away. Cherished Gowns UK take donated wedding dresses and turn them into beautiful burial gowns for babies. Whether they were born too soon, too late or too poorly, the gowns are donated free of charge to hospitals and parents around the UK. They’ve taken over 20,000 wedding dresses and created more than 100,000 gowns since 2014.
Consider donating blood, breast milk or even your body when you die.
Donate For Free Via Apps
There are a number of different apps available to download so you can raise funds for charity without it costing you a penny. Charity Miles donates money for every mile you run or walk. Finally your exercise is paying! There are also apps which reward you for not using your phone, which you can then donate to charity. This is such an easy way to give to charity.
Donate Your Cashback
If you shop through a cashback site, you can donate the cashback that you earn to charity. Via the ForGoodCauses scheme, you can donate to any of the registered UK charities on their site. Your cashback can go further than you know and it might even be eligible for gift aid. If you don’t shop via a cashback site you can choose to shop with Amazon Smile. This means that Amazon donates 0.5% of the net purchase price (excluding VAT, returns and shipping fees) of eligible purchases a charity of your choice. It works exactly the same as Amazon, with the same products and prices, just gives something back to charity.
Donate Your Time
If you have nothing else to give, why not consider giving your time? Volunteer with a charity close to your heart to connect with other people, from organising foodbank parcels to working in charity shops. You could even find ways to raise money. This could be a lengthy run, a coast to coast cycle, an abseil. You can give to charity without handing over physical cash, there are so many more ways to show support.
