As the year comes to an end, a lot of folks are thinking about donating to their favorite causes.  We appreciate everyone who reaches out to support a cause, whether it’s financially or through volunteering.  For everything all of you do every day, we thank you.

To ensure that your gifts have the most impact on those you want to support, here are some tips for making the most of your holiday gifts:

Financial Giving

• Give an unrestricted gift.  Everyone likes to know that his or her gift goes to help a specific program or project.  We want our dollars to help support a hungry family, or a child who needs support in school, or an abused animal in a shelter.  However, targeted support for certain projects might not allow a charity to use those dollars to run day-to-day operations.  Funds may be in place to help support a family in need, but the organization doing the work may have trouble keeping the lights on every day.  A gift to a charity’s general operation fund could help the organization do the less glamorous daily work necessary to support the projects that help individuals.

• Consider gifts to support long-term efforts.  Remember that disaster relief doesn’t occur only in the wake of a disaster.  This year’s disasters in Haiti, Pakistan, and Chile resulted in unprecedented donations towards relief efforts.  Many organizations are now moving from a relief role to a reconstruction role, which involves more expensive and longer-term projects.  If you donated to an organization in the wake of a disaster, consider giving a little bit more to help support reconstruction efforts.  GuideStar has additional tips for giving to disaster relief and recovery.

• Be cautious when giving. Remember to be cautious with your donations.  If you see an appeal that resonates with you, spend a little bit of time tracking down the charity and making sure it’s a legitimate organization.  Charity Navigator is a great resource to find out more about a charity that you’d like to donate to.

Volunteering

• Volunteer throughout the year. Many organizations run holiday campaigns, and these campaigns are usually supported by the organization’s volunteers.  If you want to volunteer with an organization, but don’t see an opportunity that fits with your interests, consider calling the organization’s volunteer manager to see what role you can play in the organization.  There may not be an opening for you during the holidays, but an opportunity may open up after the holidays. Ariel Kaminer ran into this problem when she wanted to volunteer with a food bank at Thanksgiving; she went to a soup kitchen looking to serve meals and ended up editing a crucial grant application for a church in Brooklyn.

• Be flexible. Keep an open mind about the types of tasks volunteers are doing, too.  If you want to volunteer during the holidays but none of the tasks fit with your interests, try branching out to a new type of volunteerism.  You might find something that you never knew you’d love.

At HandsOn Network, we’re grateful to everyone who has volunteered and donated to a favorite charity and worked to improve their communities over the past year.  Thank you for your time and your efforts.  We’re looking forward to next year when, together, we can do even more to transform our communities.  Happy Holidays from all of us!