How To Teach Charity When Money is Tight

These days it seems like everyone is struggling, and the holiday season can sometimes just add to money woes. Parents struggle to find money for both every day bills, and those special gifts for their children and family. Scraping money together can leave little to nothing left over for local and national charities. How can we teach our children charity when we have none to give?

All is not lost. We can still show our children how to give without putting ourselves on the charity list.

Volunteer- The one thing all charities need more than money is your time. Volunteers are the heart of any charity and there never seems to be enough to go around. Check with your charity of choice to find openings. Remember that smaller charitable organizations have a harder time finding volunteers than bigger organizations. Try the small, local ones first.

Give What You Have- Many organizations take more than just monetary donations. Many need gently used items such as clothes and toys. There are also a lot of organizations that get overlooked. Giving clothes to charity for many means driving down to the local Salvation Army or thrift store. Try finding a local women’s shelter, they are always in need of women’s clothes and toys for any children that are brought into the shelter. Be sure to keep your children involved every step of the way. Let them help pick which toys they want to give away, and take them with you to give the donation so they can see who they’ve helped.

Are you a little crafty? Try making donation items. They’re heartfelt and a great way to give. Homeless shelters are always in need of blankets, scarves, hats, and gloves.

Charity Starts at Home- There are many great national charities out there, but what about your own neighborhood? Every neighborhood could use a little help. What can you do to help those around you? Many cities give grant money for project starters that help local communities. Block party funds are an especially popular city grant. A block party may not seem to be all that charitable, but you may be able to turn the block party into a fundraiser for local or national charities. Or use it as a way to help one of your neighbors that might be going through a particularly rough patch.

Random Acts of Kindness- It’s the little things that can make the biggest difference in someone’s life. Raking a neighbor’s leaves, or helping the elderly around their house can mean everything. Showing your children how little bits of kindness can be the best way to give is a life lesson that costs no money. It’s something they can implement throughout their lives and give to the next generation.

Finding Donors- Just because you may not be able to give any money this year does not mean that you can’t help find those who can. If it’s a local charity offer to help them find donors. If you live in a city where big businesses have their headquarters call them to see what they might give to the local charity. Be sure the charity you are calling for is 501c3 certified if you target bigger businesses. This way they know that the charity is legitimate and that they can get a tax break for any donations. If your child is old enough have them help with the calls so they can see how much work goes into finding donors.

For parents charity is not just about helping those in need. It’s also about showing our children that life is more than the latest iPhone or designer jeans. We want to show our children that life has more depth than that. When giving to others we also give to ourselves, it may be an indefinable feeling, but it makes us all just a little bit better, just a little bit kinder, and our own corner of the world just a little bit nicer.