‘Tis the season for giving! With so much pressure to shop, to buy, to bake, to cram in fun, the holidays can leave us wanting. While dropping coins in a red bucket is meaningful, consider sharing a little more love this season.
Here’s some tips to help with your holiday volunteering:
- Start early. The holidays are busy times at nonprofits. Don’t wait until the week before Christmas to offer your services at the food bank. Call today!
- Be flexible.Delivering holiday meals may be rewarding, but during this time of year nonprofits need other types of help as well. Offer stuff to envelopes for end-of-year donations and you’ll be a hero.<span “font-family:symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:symbol;mso-bidi-font-family:=”” symbol”=””>
- <span”>Organize a drive. Get your colleagues, neighbors or church together to collect gifts or food. Leverage your networks for larger impacts.
- Find a great gig Meet-up and Volunteer Match are great places to connect with volunteer jobs or others looking to volunteer (and to meet new friends). Here in Colorado, Metro Volunteers has made searching for that perfect opportunity a piece of cake.
- Plan your calendar around volunteering. Looking at your December plans and dreading another eggnog and awkward conversation party? Spend your days giving back instead. You’ll be happy you did.
- Talk about it. Let your friend and family know about the organization you volunteer for. Get them involved. Many nonprofits have small marketing budgets. Your discussion of their impact goes a long way.
- Make a resolution. Volunteering during the holidays is great- but why not offer your services year round? Like any relationship, volunteering becomes more rewarding the deeper your involvement. Mentor a child, serve on a board, help with fundraising activities. Make 2015 the year to give back.
