Many of us feel passionately about certain political, humanitarian or environmental cause and are keen to find ways to support our favorite charities. Not all of us, however, have the means to contribute financially, or want to supplement our donations with other forms of support. It’s not always easy to find ways to contribute to our chosen projects without putting our hands in our pockets, but this week the MOAS fundraising team has put together a little list of ways in which our community activates to bolster the work of our organization. We hope you feel inspired to do something meaningful for a cause close to your hearts.
Volunteering / Donate skills
One of the most obvious ways to collaborate with your favorite charity without shelling out a penny is to donate your time and skills. Most NGOs and charity organizations have a volunteer department to coordinate your contributions based on the time you have available, the skills you have to offer and the projects you’re best suited to.
When offering to donate to any organization you need to be clear on what you have to offer- are you local and able to act as an extra pair of hands? Do you have a specific technical skill to offer remotely, such as bookkeeping, digital marketing, web design, event management? Are you a field specialist, such as a logistician, doctor, nurse etc, who is willing to travel to the field to volunteer? Be clear and honest when reaching out and understand that volunteering commitments should be taken just as seriously as work commitments as people will still rely on you to deliver what you promise.
To volunteer with MOAS email us on [email protected]
Promotion / Advocacy
Don’t underestimate the power of your online community. Every organization is looking to spread its reach and find new supporters through social media. Following charities like MOAS and sharing their fundraising appeals, blogs or operational updates can greatly increase their impact by exposing new donors to their content.
Charities are usually also advocating for specific causes (child protection, animal rights, refugee issues etc) and the more their message can be spread the greater their success. An act as simple as sharing an article is a real act of solidarity.
To follow MOAS’ content be sure to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and sign up to our newsletter.
Community Fundraising / getting sponsored
Even if you’re not in a position to donate, there may be people in your community who are! Fundraisers like bake sales, birthday collections, dress-down days at work and garage sales are a great way to not only earn some much needed cash for your chosen charity, but also raise awareness for their cause. Getting sponsored to undertake a physical or psychological challenge ( like a sponsored silence, hike, marathon etc) is another great way to raise money without putting your hand in your pocket.
MOAS has set up our very own fundraising platform to help you create these kind of campaigns and share them with your friends and family. However, if your charity doesn’t have it’s own peer-to-peer page you can find others like JustGiving, GivenGain, GoFundMe and many more to help.
Nominations (Awards/church/events/work)
There are so many opportunities to nominate your chosen organization for awards and schemes that may secure them recognition, funding and awareness. Some workplaces accept nominations from employees for company-wide fundraising activities/support. There are lots of awards with funding prizes attached to them for various categories of charity which you can nominate NGOs for. Some newspapers, TV stations or radio stations run Christmas appeals for nominated charities which can raise millions! Within your own community many churches, social groups or societies choose charities annually to support and so on. Ask around and you’re sure to find opportunities to nominate your pet charity for some great schemes.
MOAS has won awards, been The Guardian’s Christmas charity and is registered for dozens of workplace giving schemes on the back on nominations from our precious community of supporters!
Tax
Many countries offer you opportunities to donate part of your taxes to locally registered charities or to engage in schemes that see you support charities through your regular public engagement. Talk to a local branch of your charity to find out more about how you can funnel government funding to charities without a cost to you!
MOAS is participating in Italy’s tax contribution scheme Cinque Per Mille and has tax-status in USA, UK, Germany and Malta also. Check with your tax schemes or state contribution mechanisms to see how you can participate!
Donate at Checkout/ Give Points
Many big companies such as Amazon and Target have mechanisms at the online checkout that let you select a charity that will receive a donation through your order. Many of these schemes don’t burden you with any extra cost, but companies use them to direct the flow of contributions they make as a % of sales.
There are also plenty shops and service providers that allow you to convert your loyalty points or miles into charitable donations. Be sure to ask about this service when you’re signing up for a loyalty scheme. Miles in particular can be used, not only to convert to monetary donations, but also by charities who are flying aid workers in and out of crisis zones.
Legacy Giving
If you don’t want to donate now, but think you’d like to leave a gift to your favorite charity in your will, then Legacy Giving might be for you. It’s important to check how Legacy Giving works in your own country, as some have laws to govern the practice and ensure gifts of this kind are freely given.
Here’s MOAS’ beginners guide to Legacy Giving. Reach out for more information today at [email protected]
Apps/Browsers
Lots of games, apps and browsers donate ad revenue to their chosen charities. Some charities have even set up their own games or apps where your engagement creates funding just for playing. You can answer quiz questions to give rice to WFP, use a special browser or search engine to donate each time you use it open, donate photos for $1 donations, log your exercise miles for donations, donate money every time you snooze your alarm or play games to support a cause. These mechanisms all function in a similar way- the more you use the app/site the more ad revenue is generated, which in turn become donations for the cause. See here for some ideas.
There are also other ways you can support online. Many games and applications are being designed to collect information that is valuable to charities around the world. Look for apps/games that help researches find cures for Alzheimer’s, treat schizophrenics, research color blindness and much more.
Conclusion
No matter how you choose to show love to your favorite charities and causes, make sure you shout loud and proud. MOAS is largely run on private donations, so we value our donors highly, but we’ve also thrived with the holistic support of a global community who fundraise, advocate, nominate and engage on our behalf. We wouldn’t be the organization we are if our supporters hadn’t found meaningful, creative and out-of-the-box ways to spread the MOAS message and the MOAS brand.
If all of this sounds great, but you’d rather donate directly simply go to www.moas.eu/donate now.
Be generous in whatever ways you can!