Animal shelters struggle from over population and lack of funding. There are many ways to help them. You can donate items they need or you can support by volunteering in your spare time.

The first thing you should do is to find animal shelters in your vicinity. Each shelter is different; there are many organizations, leagues or local animal groups that operate them. Check the yellow pages or the internet to find them by zip code.

Once you have chosen a shelter of your choice, call them and ask about their volunteering process. They may ask you to come in and apply to make sure that you are well suited for their organization. While you are there, get to know the staff, system and working conditions.

Choosing how you will volunteer will depend on the work or activities needed because some require specialized training. Shelters often have an age requirement for volunteers. They must be 16 years old or older. The working hours also depend on availabilities or their volunteering rules.

Cleaning cages, the facilities, admin work such as filing papers or making phone calls are some tasks you may do. Fundraising or collecting blankets and supplies are also other options. Other tasks include feeding, grooming, walking the animals, playing or spending time with them.  You may also foster them if you wish.

Each minute you spend trying to help these organizations will help the animals and definitely make a difference.

Image from  daveparker

Christmas is often associated with sharing. It is a time to give back and share the blessings that you have received. But who says that you cannot share all-year round? It’s been almost a month since the holidays, but you can still help many people who are less fortunate. Here are some charities or causes that would greatly appreciate your help.

Many calamities have struck nations around the globe. Earthquakes and floods for example have displaced many people. They have no homes and are badly in need of food, clothing and other basic necessities. Ease their hardships by sharing what you can. Check the internet or social media networks for places of immediate need.

Orphanages foster many children and look after them. You can donate gifts, books and even small items such as soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste and other items. Visit an orphanage nearby and ask them what they need or simply make a donation that you feel will help.

Soup kitchens often have abundant food, but it would be awesome if you can make it more special. You don’t have to donate monetary or material things. Simply donate your time in cooking and feeding the homeless and it will make a big difference.

Organize a fundraiser for a deserving recipient. It may be someone who is sick or anyone who is in need. You can also ask friends to make donations to a chosen cause instead of giving you gifts for your birthday or other occasions. The greatest present that you can receive is the thought that you made a mark in someone’s life or the fact that you put a smile on someone else’s face.

Image from  markcos1o

Contact the Charity

The more people that know about the fundraiser, the better. Contacting the charity gives them the chance to let people know that you’re holding a fundraiser to benefit their cause. This also means that you may have the chance to meet with members from the charity to create fliers and write out messages for the local newspapers and radio stations.

Get Companies Involved

One of the best fundraisers is one that offers a big prize for people to buy tickets on. While a prize of this caliber may be out of your price range, you may be able to get a local company to donate a prize. If you can get several companies to donate a prize that’s even better. Contact local car dealerships, electronics stores, department stores, grocery stores, restaurants and any other companies in your area that are known for helping charity organizations. Do note that some cities do not allow items to be raffled off, even for charity purposes – so you may want to consult a Kentucky bankruptcy lawyer or another specialist in your area for help with that type of advice. Consult your local laws before doing this type of fundraiser.

Create or Purchase Simple Items to Sell

A simple item such as a photo of a local shelter animal or a sucker can be sold on auction sites in order to raise more for charity. In fact, in order to raise money on eBay, you have to give the buyer something in return. You can set the price as low as you want and welcome additional donations. For example, the price may be one-dollar, but buyers can pay $50.

Spread the Word

Last, but not least, spread the word around town and online. Create a website, Facebook page, fliers and money jars to be placed in businesses. Ask your friends, family and coworkers to let everyone know about the charity and how they can get involved.

A fundraiser is a wonderful way to help your favorite charity. Even if you don’t have a lot of money to help the cause, you can still donate your time in raising funds through your own fundraiser. Best of all, it’s easier than you might think.

Every little bit. Children should never feel that their contributions aren’t worthwhile just because they’re not huge. Explain that it doesn’t matter how small an amount you have to donate, as long as you donate. You may illustrate this concept by saying that if you give only five dollars, it may not seem like much . . . but when there are ten thousand other people in the world who each give five dollars, that adds up to a lot.

Choice of charity. It is a good idea to let children choose a charity they can relate to. Perhaps they have a cousin with cerebral palsy or an aunt who fought breast cancer. Or, they may just want to give back to the church they attend. Whatever the charitable cause, the message of giving hits closer to home when the children choose it for reasons that are personal to them.

Drop in the bucket. If you really want to instill in children that their contributions count, let them see for themselves. Have them physically drop money in collection jars and receive a personal “thanks” so that they understand that their money is actually joining a greater pool of money, and that there are real people on the other end. You can find opportunities to do this by way of things like the Salvation Army red buckets during the holiday season and the fire-fighter boot MDA drive.

Up close and personal. Help children learn about the need for charitable donations by exposing them, first hand, to the work that is accomplished by charities. Volunteer at a local soup kitchen, visit sick patients in the hospital, or have someone in administration take you on a tour through a homeless shelter. You’ll be amazed at the effect this can have on children, and how they will really take it to heart that their donations can affect change and better other peoples’ lives.

Teaching kids about donating to charity can be an enriching experience for all involved. Give your children a valuable lesson, and help them grow into giving adults, by guiding them to make charitable choices from the time they are young.

About the Author: Wesley Carll is a full-time writer with a passion for charitable work. When he’s not hanging out with his family, he enjoys helping graduates find jobs for occupational therapists and nurses.

Freerice.com is a non-profit website that aims to educate and provide free rice to people who are hungry. It was created by John Breen of poverty.com initially to help his child review for the SAT’s. After which he realized that the site had potential, so he decided to donate it to United Nations World Food program.

By now you must be asking how these virtual grains converted to real grains of rice. The site’s generous sponsors and advertisers make it possible to do so. All you have to do is invest your time in order to feed the hungry in Uganda, Nepal, Cambodia, Bhutan and Bangladesh. According to Wikipedia, “Since its inception, as of October 15, 2010, Freerice players had earned sufficient rice to feed over 4.32 million people for one day.”

It is wonderful to learn and be educated through games while fighting world hunger at the same time. The site boats of different subjects to choose from. There are games that improve your knowledge in English vocabulary or grammar. You can also learn a new language such as Italian, Spanish, German or French. Apart from these you can also test what you know about humanities, math, science and geography. The main objective is for you to choose the correct answer among the choices give. Once you do ten grains of rice is donated. As your correct answers increase, the grains of rice add up so you end up giving more as you enjoy the game.

Share the love while taking a break or make time to visit the site when you can. Each minute you spend on the website will make a big difference.

So just in case you were wondering, here are the word’s origins. The rest is up to you.

“….The word “charity” entered the English language through the French word “charite” which was derived from the Latin “caritas“.

In the twelfth century it indicated a state of benevolance towards the poor.

In the fifteenth century charity was used to indicate ‘the state of love or simple affection which one was in or out of regarding one’s fellows; an occasion or body of people seeking to embody that state; the love of god, in both directions.

The fraternity was the embodiment of this ideal. In 1700, it meant ‘an optimistic judgement about the good intentions of others; an act of benevolence towards the poor or needy; an institution erected as a result of such an act.”

In Christian theology:

“…Love, in this sense of an unlimited loving-kindness towards all others, is held to be the ultimate perfection of the human spirit, because it is said to both glorify and reflect the nature of God. In its most extreme form such love can be self-sacrificial. Confusion can arise from the multiple meanings of the English word “love.”

The love that is caritas is distinguished by its origin, being Divinely infused into the soul, and by its residing in the will rather than emotions, regardless of what emotions it stirs up. This love is necessary for salvation, and with it no one can be lost.”

That is why the charitable organization Denver Health’s Newborn in Need was born. This organization caters to the needs of mothers who have just given birth and their babies. The money that the organization gathers is used to provide for essential items such as diapers, milk formulas, and blankets among other things. If you would rather give goods as opposed to cash, the organization will gladly accept your donations as well. In fact, the hospital has a dedicated room to house goods that have been donated.

The sad fact, however, is that the shelves in the rooms are starting to become depleted. It seems that the needs are much higher than the donations that are coming in. That is why the organization is now actively seeking gifts from those who are willing to give them.

According to a story published by 9news, the mothers who have received these donations have expressed their gratitude. For those in the area, donations can also be made when shopping at King Soopers, where donation cards are available for $3 and are added onto your grocery bill. For more information, you can also visit the organization’s web site.

And I think this is what is happening (in some cases) with a UK organization called Do Good For Debt. The idea behind this group is brilliant, really. What they do is provide the opportunity for those with students loans (which are usually immense) to pay back their debt and at the same time, do good work. Inventor Spot has this feature on them:

The non-profit UK based organization was started by Ian Wallace, who found himself so constricted under the weight of his 14,000 GBP student loans that he took a job in a factory while looking for a job in his chosen field; law. With his life decisions completely surrounding making his debt payments and keeping a roof over his head, this innovative entrepreneur decided there had to be a way to look after his best interests, and give back to his community at the same time.

Do Good for Debt was created, with a main goal of working with charities to encourage recent college graduates to give back, while taking a little something for themselves in the process; complete student debt repayment. Perhaps monetary compensation for charity work, defeats the purpose and takes away from the philanthropist mentality, but hey, recent grads have a better chance at making a contribution to society if they don’t have the burden of student loans hanging over their heads.

As I said, this is better than nothing. More so, I am sure that many of the people who participate in the program would willingly help out in other circumstances anyway. Call it providing an opportunity. By the way, Do Good For Debt has a MySpace account – add them!