Giving Back Made Fun And Easy
Many people want to do good for their communities or for other places around the world but find themselves lacking the time, energy, or money to do so. Giving back can become an afterthought, something to get to someday when we have all of those things to spare. Well, with the modern-day conveniences of the internet and cellphones, “someday” has arrived.
With these technological advances, giving back has never been more simple, fun, or free. The level of involvement to these new charitable opportunities varies. Some require a one-time sign-up or a daily task, while others require you to review works or play games. Many link directly to your daily routine without any inconvenience to you beyond the initial sign-up. With so many ways to make a difference, finding the right one for you may be the biggest investment you have to make.
The simplest way to give is through everyday activities such as grocery shopping. Kroger Community Rewards will donate a portion of every purchase to local fundraisers when you swipe your plus card.
Amazonsmile and Goodsearch.com function similarly: just select a charity you’d like to contribute to, and a portion of every purchase afterwards is donated to that charity. You can change your selection at any time, so feel free to spread the love.
Daily donations can be made at The Hunger Site and Freerice.com without registration; since they are ad sponsored, your clicks provide the money to charity. The Hunger Site gives you the option of donating to any of ten different causes with a simple click. Freerice.com gathers donations through a trivia game with different categories of questions to answer. Each correct answer provides rice to the World Food Programme.
For a big impact without the daily time commitment, Kiva.org and Zidisha.org are micro-lending sites where you provide a small loan to people from around the world that will be paid back to you within a set time frame. You may then choose to loan that money to another cause or to simply get your money back.
For those who want to be more directly involved, Care2.com is a simple and effective way to access petitions for a wide range of causes, from animal welfare to civil rights. It also allows you to start a petition of your own.
Apps are also a fun and easy way to donate. With Charity Miles, you simply download the app, select a charity, and for every mile you bike, run or walk, money is donated to your selected charity.
The Give Work iPhone app has a unique approach: companies crowdsource simple jobs through Samasource, a global data sourcing company that trains refugees in different skills. These trained refugees are given the jobs, and you, through the Give Work app, double-check their work to ensure its accuracy and quality.
With so many options available, it’s easy to give back in a way that fits your lifestyle and income bracket.
You can make a difference, do good, and still have the time, energy, and money to do all of those other things life requires you to do. You may just feel better about it.
