How Volunteering Can Help You Decide Where to Donate

Studies show that we feel better when we give than when we receive. I know, I do. But there are a few ways to give. You can decide to give your time, or you can decide to give your money. Either way, it’s an investment that should leave you feeling pretty good about yourself.

The thing about donating money, though, is that you’re never really sure how the organization is using it. Are you just paying someone’s salary, or are you actually helping people in need? The truth is, some non-profits are more worthy than others. And among those who are worthy, you may find a cause that you naturally sympathize with. That narrows down the options a bit. But, if you want to be sure that the organization is using your money for good, get in there and get your hands dirty. Volunteer for the organization and you’ll know exactly how committed they are at helping those in need. You don't find getting scholarships easy, do you? Then why should you so easily turn over your hard earned cash?

Still not buying it? Here are a few more reasons why it’s a good idea to volunteer before you donate:

· Charities are good at pulling at our heart strings, and just about everything sounds good in the first few minutes of the sell. Donate your time to the cause to test your true resolve and passion.

· A mission statement may help you identify who they are and what they do, but working in a day-to-day setting with the group lets you understand how and on what levels they operate, be it grassroots change or rewriting policy.

· While working, you may only glimpse a piece of the organization, but that's often enough to understand their work ethic, commitment, progress and work culture at the organizational level.

· You can also trace the money to see if they are wasteful or intelligently spending you cash to improve the world.

· As you get to know the people and learn what they are actually doing on the ground, you will be able to see where your talents are best applied. Maybe you can help in ways they hadn't thought of, or connect them to other friends in high places and really help the cause.

Volunteering vs. Donating

Back in 2008, when the economy really took a plunge, is when I first started thinking about helping others get through rough times. I was going through a bit of a rough time myself, but I knew so many people had it so much worse than me. Perhaps because of my own misfortune, I understood firsthand that a life can completely change in just a short moment. Someone who is financially stable can lose all their money and become homeless. Someone who is otherwise healthy can have an accident that debilitates them for life. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past three years, it’s that things change. You’ve got to roll with the punches, and help others do the same.

That’s when I knew I had to use whatever resources I had to help others. Unfortunately, money was not a resource I had at the time, so I chose to volunteer. Many people who have the financial resources choose to donate, and that’s great, but I think it’s so much more rewarding to get in there and get your “hands dirty.”

When you donate to any charity, at least a small percentage of your donation is likely going towards someone’s salary. I’m not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing (although in some cases it is). In order for a charitable organization to be successful, they are going to need some full-time help. You can’t really expect anyone to volunteer 100 percent of their time, so a salary is necessary.

There are some salaries that are overinflated and some charities that use too much of your donation towards compensation for their employees. Then, on the other end of the spectrum, there are other charities that are barely scraping by so they can maximize the resources devoted to helping others. Finding the right charity to donate to is not a simple process. Charity Navigator can help you with your decision, but you still may need to ask some hard questions. This is another reason why I’d rather volunteer than donate. I don’t think that makes me a bad person, but what’s your take on the situation?

How to Find Local Volunteer Opportunites

So, you’ve decided it’s time to start volunteering your free time. Congratulations to you. Not only will you get the great feeling that comes from helping others, but volunteering also looks great on scholarship applications and job resumes. Now the only question left is: where do you start? It can be kind of overwhelming. If you’re a member of a local church or synagogue, you may want to check out volunteer opportunities here. Religious organizations often organize groups to help feed the hungry or clothe the homeless – and it’s usually done in your local area, which is nice. If you can’t seem to find a good match through a religious organization (or, if you’re not affiliated with one), there are websites that do a pretty good job of matching you up with a charity.

Here are a few you can check out:
Serve.gov – Serve.gov is a fairly new government initiative in place to help volunteers find opportunities in their local area. What’s unique about Serve.gov is that you can add an opportunity and recruit people in your local area. That means that if you see a need that isn’t being addressed, like the cleanup of a local park, you can add it and potentially find others to help you perform the task.

Volunteer Match – Volunteer Match has an extensive database of volunteer opportunities to choose from. As of today, there are 67,335 active opportunities and 80,107 participating organizations – so, you should really be able to find something that works for you here.


Charity Navigator – Charity Navigator isn’t exactly a volunteer match up service, but if the two mentioned above don’t work for you, you can always use it to find a charity that is worthy of your valuable time. Charity Navigator grades charities based on their actions and how they spend their money. For example, if an organization only spends 5 percent of the money they get from donations to help others, they would get a very low score (probably one star). On the other hand, charities that spend most of their funds on the cause get a high score (probably four stars). This site is also good to check out a charity you’ve found on Serve.gov or Volunteer Match.

Volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters

A lot of students want to volunteer for various reasons (maybe it makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside or you just like how it can help get you an easy scholarship), but they don’t always know where to start. That’s why, from time to time, I’ll highlight an organization that I feel is age-appropriate and worthy of your time. Big Brothers Big Sisters is such an organization. I haven’t actually volunteered with them myself, but I have good friends who do and have done so for years. With almost any volunteer organization, you get to make a positive impact on someone else’s life, but with Big Brothers Big Sisters, you get to see the smile on that little person’s face time and time again.

Although it can be extremely rewarding, volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters is not a decision you should take lightly. If you want to help the community, but you’re not sure about your level of commitment, volunteer at a homeless shelter or a soup kitchen for the day. You can even lend a hand at a Habitat for Humanity project or help clean up your local park. Those are all things you can do whenever the mood strikes you. On the other hand, Big Brothers Big Sisters requires a much greater commitment. It’s so effective because it helps bring some stability to children who don’t otherwise have any. That means, if you opt in and only volunteer for a month, you’re disappointing a child.

The commitment factor is probably why BBBS does a thorough interview and background check on each of its volunteers. They want to make sure you’re committed (and that you haven’t been committed, if you catch my drift). But once you get in, you’ll see that it’s a pretty great program. All you have to do is spend a few hours a couple of times per month with your “little brother” or “sister.” The fun is in finding an activity or two that you both can enjoy together. Maybe you’re learning how to become an art teacher and you can have an arts and crafts day with your little brother or sister. Whatever your interest, you should be able to find something you both can enjoy.