Have you ever wondered how to donate money to charity without spending any? It is possible to make a difference to organizations without making a cash donation. Here’s how!
We all want to do our part in helping others. There are endless charitable organizations that do a lot of good and could do more with increased resources. But when you are barely scraping by, it can be difficult to afford making a donation.
1. Volunteering
One alternative to making a cash donation is to donate your time. Volunteering even just a few hours occasionally can make a difference.
However if you’re limited on free time, there are other ways to donate to great causes without leaving the house. Here are some ways to donate to great causes without volunteering or making a cash donation.
2. AmazonSmile
Shopping on Amazon? Did you know that your purchase can help make a donation to charity?
AmazonSmile, owned by Amazon, donates .5% of the price of eligible items you buy to the charitable organization of your choice. Tens of millions of products are eligible and this is a great way to donate when doing your regular shopping.
It costs you absolutely nothing to have them donate for you and Amazon receives no money for doing so. Once you choose who you want to donate to, you simply shop from smile.amazon.com to start reaping small rewards for the charity or nonprofit.
I have my AmazonSmile linked to the nonprofit Books for Kids Foundation, which I used to work for.
They promote literacy skills for preschool-aged children, especially those from low-income families. They do this by creating libraries and implementing literacy programs run by skilled educators. My sister’s account donates to her local children’s museum.
If neither of those appeals to you, don’t worry. There are over a million organizations you can choose from and you can change your charity whenever you wish. Chances you’ll find one you consider worthy of donating to are high. Just remember to make sure you always shop from amazon.smile.com.
If you forget and shop from regular amazon.com, nothing will be donated.
3. The Hunger Site
At The Hunger Site, you simply click to donate to different causes. Currently, they are hunger, breast cancer, animals, veterans, autism, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, literacy, and the rain forest. You click (up to once per day), they donate. That’s it.
Optionally, they’ll donate more if you purchase an item from their site. Considering it takes only a few seconds to donate, and costs you no money, there is no reason not to.
Care2 and The Breast Cancer Site have very similar models. On Care2 you can click every day to help save the rainforest, protect big cat habitats, feed a rescued primate, and more. On The Breast Cancer site, you can click each day to help fund mammograms.
4. Free Rice
Free Rice donates to the World Food Programme to help end hunger.
To have them donate for you, all you need to do is play a game. You pick the subject you’re most interested in. There are various choices under the categories of Humanities, Math, Language Learning, Sciences, English, Chemistry, Geography, and Test Preparation. You’re continuously asked multiple choice questions.
For every question you get correct, they donate ten grains of rice to the World Food Programme. Nothing happens if you get it wrong.
There is no minimum or maximum amount of questions you can answer. If you’re anything like me, you’ll find this game pretty addicting and end up playing much longer than you mean to.
But that just means more rice donated! Who knew that you could do good just by playing games?
5. Tab for a Cause
Full disclosure: I haven’t tried Tab for a Cause yet because I’ve only recently heard of it. However, from what I’ve read, it looks like a very easy way to start earning money for charities. Basically, every time you open a new tab to a web page, they donate between 0.1 and 0.33 cents to a charity.
The money comes from ads on the new tab page.
You pick the category of charity you want to donate to whether it be preserving oceans, feeding children, training entrepreneurs, etc. The experience is gamified with various levels and points as well.
You open tabs anyway, so why not do it in a way that causes money to be donated to charities? No wonder USA Today called it, “One of the simplest ways to raise money.”
6. Charity Miles
Charity Miles is a mobile app that helps you donate money while getting some exercise. As somebody who likes working out, but has never experienced a runner’s high, the idea of signing up for a charity marathon does not appeal to me whatsoever.
Charity Miles, however, does appeal to me. You can log a variety of movements such as running, walking, dancing, or biking.
Every mile you log earns money for a charity of your choice. You can get sponsored by friends as well. They currently have over 40 charities to choose from including Habitat for Humanity, the Alzheimer’s Association, the American Diabetes Association, and more.
If you’re already an active person, this is a great way to get cash to charities without doing anything more than you already do. If you aren’t an active person, this app just might give you some extra motivation to get up and get moving.
7. Target Circle Votes
If you’re a Target shopper and use the Target Circle app, there’s an easy way to donate with just a couple of clicks! As a Target Circle member, your purchases earn you votes in the app that you can give to local charities.
These votes mean donations to non-profits in your home area or across the nation. Voting is done quarterly so be sure to allocate those votes to help a charity near you.
8. Search for a Cause
Did you know your normal web searches can help plant trees and prevent deforestation?
One unique search engine, Ecosia is a unique way to donate money to charity without spending any. Your searches on this search engine help plant trees around the world.
9. Use Your Voice
Advocate for causes that matter to you. This can involve raising awareness through social media, writing blogs, or participating in community meetings. Sometimes, bringing attention to a cause can be as valuable as monetary donations.
10. Teach or Mentor
Share your knowledge and experience by teaching or mentoring. Many charitable organizations look for people to teach skills to those they serve, such as tutoring children, teaching a skill to adults, or providing guidance in your area of expertise.
11. Offer Space
If you have a space that can be used for charity events, meetings, or as a storage area for goods, offering it to a nonprofit can be incredibly helpful.
12. Craft for a Cause
If you’re skilled in crafts, knitting, sewing, or other handmade goods, you can create items to be donated. This includes making blankets for shelters, hats and scarves for homeless outreach programs, or handmade toys for children in hospitals.
Engage in local community projects like park cleanups, helping at local shelters, or assisting in community-building activities.
Giving to Charity Without Spending Money
Giving back to others doesn’t have to involve time or money. There are additional ways to help make a difference. Ideally, these websites and apps are used in addition to regular donations of time, money, or items, but they can make a difference by themselves as well.
No matter how badly you have it, there are others who have it worse. But when times are tough and you don’t have time to sign up for a marathon, log a run on Charity Miles. Instead of your normal trivia games, play a few rounds on Free Rice.
When you turn to Amazon for Christmas presents, shop through AmazonSmile.
Always be on the lookout for ways to give back because you never know when you’ll need others to give to you. In the end, any donation is better than none. Tiny donations add up, especially if multiplied by millions of people.
Make sure to share these with your friends because the more people who contribute the better our world becomes.
Do you have a way to donate money to charity without spending any? Leave a comment below!
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