How to know you’re putting your good will in the best hands
The holidays are a great time to give back to your community, or to support a group in need.
But how can you be sure you’re putting your good will in the best possible place this season?
Here are some of our tips to help you or your business make the greatest impact with your charitable giving.
Do a simple reputation check on charities before donating
The last thing we want is to make someone hesitate to give, especially in this season of so much need.
But taking five minutes to check up on an organization’s reputation means your charitable giving will go to the people you want to support — and not get caught in administrative costs or shady dealings.
The three best known charity watchdog groups are CharityWatch, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, and Charity Navigator.
These groups seek to help people and companies make the most of their good will by evaluating how nonprofit organizations collect and spend their gifts, as well as how organized and transparent they are in allocating your donations.
If you want to give back, but don’t have time to search charity by charity, here’s a helpful list of reputable organizations from Consumer Reports.
Think outside the (donation) box
We work with a wonderful group of people who represent various non-profits. The single greatest need they express (and all the more during the busy holiday season) is for volunteers.
Consider donating a day of personal time, or making a company-wide volunteer day this holiday season to make a difference, and make some community connections.
Some other non-traditional ways to give back to your community are:
- Creating a company college scholarship. This is a wonderful way to invest in your community (and what luck that El Paso is a college town), and it helps you build a solid relationship and business reputation while making a difference. Click here to learn more about how and why.
- Host a charitable event in your community. The options are endless: walks, runs, charitable dinners, performances, goods drives, children’s activities … you get the idea!
Giving is good for the heart, and the business
Deductions are a great perk to charitable giving, but also keep in mind that volunteering, creating a college scholarship, and hosting a charitable event as a company also give you opportunities to leverage free advertising.
So not only can your company create good will within and make a positive difference in your community, you can introduce your community to the valuable services you offer!
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