Donation | Charity Needs

A Different Way to Help Charity

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While most cars have value, some are completely outdated. No matter what dealership you take them to or what company you try to exchange them with, some cars have served their financial purpose and no longer have any significant cash value.

That Clunker Can Help Charity

Although your car may be one of the few completely devalued vehicles on the road, you can still help the world by making a donation. Contrary to some beliefs any car, ugly or beautiful, can help a non-profit organization. It’s best to donate when you can’t sell your car.

Donating a Car Instead of Cash

Many people choose to give cash instead of their cars to charity. Although automobiles offer significant benefits to non-profit organizations, cash, checks and money orders are often viewed as the only way to give to a worthy cause. Donated vehicles may be sold to a private buyer or to a salvage yard. Some organizations take donated vehicles and fix the cars so they can be used for daily errands.

Ground Rules

Before giving your keys to any organization, be sure to research what the charity is about. If there is a charity that is important to you, don’t hesitate to contact the local chapter to see if the group would be interested in a vehicle donation. Also, make sure that your vehicle is empty and ready for a new owner. While not a cars for cash exchange, the vehicle is being given to someone. Under no circumstances should you present a dirty vehicle to charity.

Filed Under: Donation Tagged With: Charitable organization, Donation, Vehicle

Hot Styles & Charitable Giving Equals a Win/Win

American rapper Nelly in 2007 with Allen Ivers...

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With the success of the male urban clothing line, Vokal, rapper Nelly took a look at the women’s market and saw a definite need in women’s choices. Nelly, along with his business partners, Yomi Martin and Ian Kelly, conceived of the idea of a flattering line of clothes for all women’s sizes and figures.

Nelly off-handedly called the idea Apple Bottom, to the delight of his partners, and the name became legend in the history of feminine hip-hop fashion. Starting with jeans, the brand grew to dresses, tops, shoes, accessories, and most recently a girl line of urban fashionables.

One of the perks that has grown with the Apple Bottom line are various charities that were developed by Nelly to help with children’s health issues and the African-American community. “Sho 4 Kids” is a charitable organization that was formed to help kids with developmental disorders; Jes Us 4 Jackie, named after Nelly’s sister, was organized to increase community awareness about Leukemia, including necessary bone marrow donations.

Apple Bottom clothing has also been known to donate clothing coupons to certain charitable fundraisers, allowing a portion of each coupon to go to the buyer’s charity of choice. This is a great way to give to the needy while also buying good products – and is especially advantageous during holiday seasons.

All in all, Apple Bottom clothing is a hot urban fashion line that was formed to help women find the clothes that fit their particular figure and has also taken the time to give back to the community through charitable giving and helping with needs of the community.

This is known as synergy: the perfect win/win situation.

Filed Under: Donation Tagged With: Charity, donations, money v. clothes, scams, tax deductions, What charities need during certain seasons

Benefits of supporting a charity in the workplace

Walk for Cancer - Miami Country Day School

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Does your workplace have a chosen charity to support? If it doesn’t now may be a good time to choose a charity partner to support. There are many charities out there who need not only monetary support but volunteers and donations too.

So, why should your workplace engage with a charity partner? Here are a few good reasons why:-

Team spirit. You can get your employees engaged and working together right from the beginning. Get buy-in from team members by asking them to vote for the charity they most want to support. Once you have some events organised its a great way to give back to the charity as well as a real feel-good and motivational event for your staff. We all know a happy team is a more productive team!
Good for Business. Its great marketing to show that your business is working with a charity partner, you can share events and fundraising initiatives on your websites, blogs and even industry and local press. Great PR and great advertising for your business. It will demonstrate your commitment to give back and strengthen your business value proposition.
The Charity! Needy local or national charities get to benefit from your contributions of time, money and donations not to mention the great exposure they will get through your fundraising initiatives and media releases.

So, take the step towards a positive initiative which will reward your charity and your business. A WIN/WIN situation!

Filed Under: Charity, Donation Tagged With: Charity, marketing, supporting, workplace

Donations: Not Just out of the Kindness of Your Heart

Many people probably wonder how so many well-to-do’s can throw a lot of money around to non-profits like it were candy. The answer’s two-fold:

One, because they can; and two, because it helps them, too!

It’s pretty certain that the latter went way above your head. The fact that the filthy rich are so capable of just ‘donating’ their money to whatever is clear. But how can it help them? How does donating help them? And why?

The reality behind the way the financial world works is that every donation — such as a brand-new car, or $500, or a set of poker tables — is like you giving your own slice of cake to somebody else in the room, which means Mommy (or Daddy) rewards you with something else to make up for it.

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Think of our government as Mommy (or Daddy). What you do with every charitable donation is write it off as a tax deduction. Basically, that simply means you’re telling the government that this can cut your tax down some, because you’re making it a gift toward somebody else. You, in essence, will pay less tax than if you hadn’t made that charitable donation in the first place.

Now, yes, why would anyone want to give away something so hefty in price anyway? Maybe they don’t need the item anymore. Maybe they’re upgrading to something better. Who knows. But if the rich out there need to give away some of the stuff they have because they’re not using it, why not write it off as a tax deduction? Smart.

Filed Under: Donation Tagged With: Charity, donations, money v. clothes, scams, tax deductions, What charities need during certain seasons

Find Fulfillment: Find a Charity!

It’s a statement that’s both sad and true: there are many in this world that are in need. Whether it’s victims of natural disasters, domestic abuse, serious illness, poverty, or illiteracy, people near and far could do with a helping hand. Volunteering and performing charity work are acts that have the power to change lives. They bring fulfillment and satisfaction. They provide aid to those who need it most. No one is too young or too old to help others, often getting more in the process by volunteering.
Give to Your Community – Go Local!

Uncovering areas to volunteer is easy with the help of a website like Canada 411. It will point you in the direction of shelters, hospitals, and organizations in your area, even providing a map so you can easily find your way. Contact information like phone numbers will be listed too, so you can get in touch with listed organizations and find out what they need the most, be it time, donations, or a little handy work.

They Need You!

If you’re looking to make a positive difference in someone’s life, your life, and the lives of your children, volunteering is the way to do it. While you can volunteer your time and resources on a worldwide scale, there are great opportunities to perform charity work in your own backyard. Finding places to volunteer locally is easy — all you need is your computer.

Volunteering is an easy way to make a huge impact. Everyone has something to give; who will you lend a helping hand to?

Filed Under: Charity, Donation Tagged With: Canada, Philanthropy, volunteer

Different Ways of Donating to Charity

Most people are aware of the fact that there are a variety of ways to donate to charity, but they may have difficulty naming more than a few of them. There are definitely a wide variety of different ways that you can donate to charity, and they do not all require that you donate money. This means that just because you do not have enough money to donate to a charity, there are still a number of different ways that you can help a charity and the underprivileged people that the charity is attempting to provide solutions for.

For example, one of the ways that you can donate to charity is to donate your time through the action of volunteering. If you do have money to give, then you may consider donating money to a campaign or a fundraiser designed to help underprivileged youth. Another option that is available for you is to donate items that you do not need or do not want, such as shoes and clothing, cars, and so on. There are a wide variety of different charities that are trying to help those who are less fortunate, and your donations can really help them out. Kars for Kids, for example, is taking vehicle donations and using those unwanted vehicles to help provide children with emotional support, proper care, and an education that will improve their chances of being more self-sufficient in the future.

One of the greatest benefits of this specific organization is the fact that you can donate a vehicle, and then you can write it off as a deduction on your taxes. Additionally, you will receive a voucher for a two days and two night’s hotel stay for any city in the United States. With so many benefits associated with donating an unwanted vehicle to charity, what is stopping you from donating to charity today?

Filed Under: Donation, General Tagged With: Charitable organization, Donation, United States

Donating to Charity

The odds are good that around your home you have some items in your home that a charity or non-profit organization in the area may be looking for. There are a lot of great things that you can donate to such an organization, especially because non-profit organizations are always on the lookout for helpful donations that they can use to fund all of the important and necessary work that they are doing. One of the best things that you can do is to place a phone call to the non-profit or charity that you want to donate to, let them know that you are interested in making a donation, and ask them what types of items they are looking for so that you could ensure that your donation is useful and beneficial to them.

The non-profit organization, for example, may be in need of some specific types of items like tools, or even trees. They may need basic goods such as toilet paper or canned goods. It all depends on the type of charity and what their current needs are. Most not-for-profit organizations keep up-to-date lists of everything that they need so they can give you a good idea of what you can donate. Another great way that you can donate is to to donate your time in the form of volunteering. What kinds of useful skills do you have that you can donate to a charity in need, such as the ability to write, social media experience, graphic design, or just labor?

Another great idea is just to donate a cash donation, or another form of money donation. Whether you decide to donate cash, prepaid credit card, check, gift card or through online donations, giving money to a charity or non-profit organization allows the organization to determine how they will best use the money, which is great if they have a lengthy list of needs and you are having trouble deciding what to donate.

Filed Under: Charity, Donation Tagged With: Charitable organization, Donation, Non-profit organization

Raise Donations for Charity Organizations

Have fun raising donations for your charity organization. Raising funds for a good cause doesn’t mean you have to spend countless hours in a cramped office stuffing envelopes that will only be thrown away unopened. Plan an event that allows people to gather and have fun together while publicly proclaiming their support of your cause.

One great idea for a charity fundraiser is to hold a music festival. Many bands will play for free or at very low cost to help support a cause. This also gives them publicity for their own work. Your charity can profit from ticket sales in addition to donations. Talk with local grocers to see if they will donate beer, beverages, and snacks. Ask local scout groups, organizations, and friends to bake some goods that you can sell at the concert with all the proceeds going to your charity organizations.

Another fundraiser option is a high-end poker game. Set up a tournament using poker tables that you borrow, rent, or own. The participants in the game will pay to play, supporting your charity. Of course, to draw people in, you’ll want to offer some great prizes. Call some local businesses to see if they are willing to donate some prizes. This will give them publicity, too. It never hurts for them to support a charity when it comes to tax-time, too. Just as in the music festival option, you can offer refreshments for a cost in addition to taking donations. All these options added together can greatly benefit your charity organization with publicity and financial contributions.

Don’t forget about the ever-popular 50/50 raffle at your charity fundraising event. Charge a small fee for each ticket sold. Hold a drawing at a specified time. The individual with the winning ticket gets half the money from the ticket sales, and your charity gets the other half.

Filed Under: Charity, Donation, Volunteer Tagged With: Charitable organization, Donation, Fundraiser

Benefits of Donating to Charity

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There are countless benefits associated with donating to charity. Many people donate purely out of the goodness of their hearts. You are aware of the fact that there are people out there in need, and you donate to make sure that they get what they need. You may also decide to donate to charity for the tax benefits, or because you have "clutter" that you want to get rid of. It does not matter why you donate to charity, simply that you find a reason to do it and get it done.

* Tax Benefits: One of the most common benefits of donating to charity is the tax benefits. There is nothing wrong with wanting to receive a deduction on your taxes for donating monetary donations and item donations to a local charity. The deduction amount will vary based on the value of the items donated.

* Eliminating Clutter: If you have clutter in your attic or your cupboards, then why not consider what items you do not really need? Donate useful items that could benefit someone else rather than gathering dust in forgotten places throughout your home.

* Feeling Good: Helping the less fortunate has an excellent feel good factor associated with it. If you are fortunate in your life, then give back by donating to charities.

* Giving Back: If a charity has helped you in the past, and you are better off now, then now is an excellent time for you to give back, showing your appreciation for the assistance that once helped you when you most needed it.

* In Honor of Someone: You may decide to donate to charity in a loved one’s name, which is an outstanding way to honor someone that you have lost such as a loved one. Choose a charity that is close to the lost loved one’s life.

Filed Under: Donation, Finance Tagged With: Charitable organization, Donation, Tax

What Can You Donate to Charity?

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One of the simplest types of donations that you can make to a charity is money, because any charity can benefit from a monetary gift. There are other items that you can give to charity as well, but there are some specific considerations that you are going to want to make beforehand. Consider these tips:

* First and foremost, determine if the items that you want to donate are actually useful or not. For example, most charities will only take items that are unused, new or very close to new. Rusty appliances, tattered furniture and other used items are not generally usable by most charities.

* Consider instead holding a garage sale and selling the items so that you can donate whatever proceeds you raise to the charity of choice. Monetary gifts to charity give them the most options for using the donation in the best way.

* When in doubt, consider calling and asking the charity. If they know what you are interested in donating, then they will be able to give you sound advice on how you should proceed. They may suggest that you bring the item or items in, or they may recommend selling the items in favor of a cash donation depending on what the item is or what their current need is.

* Start your search for the right charity locally, and try to help local charities in your area of residence first and foremost. There are probably more local charities in your area than you are even aware of, and if you do not know about them, the odds are that they are not receiving as many charitable donations as they would like, and this is an excellent opportunity for you to help them out. Working with local charities is one of the best things that you can do, especially when you want to give back to your local community.

Filed Under: Charity, Donation Tagged With: Charitable organization, Donation, Internal Revenue Service