Holiday Giving: Tips for Donating Safely to Causes

Posted on December 10, 2012 by click2cause

Donate Safely

As the spirit of the holidays takes hold of everyone, more people find themselves willing to donate to their favorite causes throughout the month of December than any other time of the year. While this is great news for organizations that rely on the funds to keep going, it can spell disaster for those who don’t do their research. Giving back to your community is important, and while you shouldn’t be hampered in your generosity by less-than-scrupulous individuals, you should take steps to protect yourself and your money.

Tips for Donating Safely During the Holidays

Type carefully and double check your spelling.  Before you hand over a single dollar, make sure you know the cause that you’re donating to, and make sure you’re actually donating to them. You may think that hitting the “donate” button on the website of a well-known organization is completely safe, but if you mistype the web URL, you could be putting your financial information in danger. Thieves often register domain names slightly off from the spelling of a big organization and take advantage of those who mistype the URL. The website may look exactly like the legitimate one. Take extra care when you navigate to a website, and double-check the spelling of the URL.

Research the cause. New causes pop up every day, and most of them are for legitimate reasons. During the holiday season, more people need help and are willing to ask for it. Just make sure you do a little research to make sure the cause is real and not an attempt to scam money or financial information. Better yet, donate through a trusted site that has already done all the research for you.

Pay with a credit card. If possible, use your credit card to fund your donation. This way, if something goes wrong, you can dispute it more easily. Don’t provide your bank account information to anyone or pay with a check over the phone. Using your credit card also helps you keep track of your donations more easily. It’s also a good idea to hang on to your receipts, even if you don’t plan to deduct your donations come tax season.

Give the gift of time. If you don’t feel comfortable donating money or just don’t have the extra funds, consider giving the gift of time by volunteering for your favorite cause. Local causes often need extra hands to help organize donations, reach out to others, or even get the bookkeeping in order. Even just an hour of your time can help. You may have special skills that your favorite cause desperately needs. Give them a call and see what you can do.

Don’t let a few bad apples keep you from spreading the joy this holiday season. Helping others not only gives the causes a much-needed boost in finances, it also makes you feel better about yourself. Spread the holiday joy as much as possible; just make sure you do it carefully.

 

 

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Take Action and Promote Change During Universal Human Rights Month

Posted on December 3, 2012 by click2cause

Universal Human Rights Month

On December 10, 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration outlines the basic rights that every person should be entitled to, and was created as a response to the horrific acts committed during World War II. Since then, December has been observed as Universal Human Rights Month. This month, while you’re busy in the frays of the holiday season, consider setting aside a few moments to help those who are struggling to obtain even the basic human rights that many in developed, free nations take for granted.

How to Take Action During Universal Human Rights Month

1. Educate Yourself. Educating yourself about the plight of others is the first step in helping them. Read the newspaper, visit sites that cover human rights issues, or watch an international news program.  Learn about human rights throughout history and see what others have done to enact change. Education is a very powerful tool in promoting any cause.

2. Spread the word.  If you read or hear a story about a human rights issue, don’t keep it to yourself. Spread the word to your friends, family, and even your social media network. Share links to news stories that catch your attention.  One person can enact change, but it’s a lot easier if many voices come together.

3. Volunteer. December is a busy month for everyone, but if you can carve out even just a few hours throughout the month to volunteer at an organization that promotes human rights, you could help thousands of people. You don’t have to volunteer for an international organization either; basic human rights include food and shelter. Volunteer at a soup kitchen or a program that brings meals to those who cannot provide for themselves.

4. Donate to a human rights cause. Organizations that promote human rights need donations to continue their work. While the larger international organizations typically aim their efforts at larger and more widespread injustices, many smaller groups and even individuals are working hard to help promote human rights on an individual level. Even if your donation helps just one person, it matters.

5. Teach the next generation about kindness and compassion. Teaching children about human rights is important because it sets the framework for a better future for all. Children who are taught kindness, compassion, and empathy for others at an early age typically exhibit those characteristics when they grow up. Remember, the children of today are tomorrow’s future leaders. Make sure they know how to be good leaders.

Human rights violations aren’t just a problem in countries with unscrupulous leaders- they happen just about everywhere on some level.  If you see an injustice happening close to home, speak up.  Your voice is your most powerful tool in promoting change.

 

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Shop Small Businesses This Holiday Season and Get Inspired!

Posted on November 26, 2012 by click2cause

Shopping at small businesses during the holiday season can give the economy a major boost. Smaller, independent or family-owned businesses account for over half the workforce in the United States, and they need your help to keep afloat. During the busy holiday shopping season, consider making purchases at some local stores rather than big-box chain stores. You won’t just be helping the local economy, you could get inspired to start your own small business!

Benefits of Shopping at Small Businesses

It’s good for the economy. Remember, small businesses provide over half the jobs in the US, and keeping them up and running is vital to recovering the economy.

Find unique gifts. Big-box stores all carry the same basic, mainstream merchandise. While that’s great for some gifts, it’s also nice to give a little something off the beaten path. Check out local or online shops for handmade and one-of-a-kind items that really show your recipient that you were thinking of them.

Better quality. In some cases, items bought through small businesses are either made by hand or produced in smaller batches, which means they may be more thoroughly checked for quality. Small businesses also have to work harder to build and maintain a good reputation, so if something does go wrong with the item, they are more likely to go the extra mile to make it right.

It’s better for the environment! Purchasing items from local artisans means you are buying something made right there in your town, rather than shipped from far away. Even if you purchase from an online artisan, you’ll still be decreasing the amount of fossil fuels burned, as mass-produced items typically come from as far away as China!

How Shopping Small Businesses Can Inspire You

Did you know that shopping at a small, local business could potentially be a life-changing event for you? Imagine walking into a store and seeing how one person managed to create a great new product or service to fill a need in society. You can meet the person directly responsible for the creation and learn how they got their start. It really is inspiring to talk to someone who is making their dream come true.

When you visit mass retail chains, you don’t really get to see the person behind the dream. Putting a face to the business not only makes the shopping experience more personal, it tells you that anyone can fulfill their dreams with a little hard work. Perhaps you’ll come up with the next big idea!

 

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This Thanksgiving, Give Others a Reason to Be Thankful

Posted on November 19, 2012 by click2cause

Thanksgiving is just four days away, and you know what that means: it’s time to get the turkey out of the freezer and start thawing it! Time to stack your pantry with all the staples needed to recreate grandma’s delicious stuffing recipe; to set the table with the adorable place tags your kids made in art class; to clean out the guest room for out-of-town relatives. It’s definitely one of the busiest times of the year, as it marks the official start to the holiday season. It’s also a great time to give others a reason to feel thankful too.

Every year, millions of families go hungry on a day when most of us are feasting until we burst. This year, with Thanksgiving coming so close on the heels of Hurricane Sandy, many families are both homeless and hungry. Sandy didn’t discriminate when she tore through the East Coast. She wiped out both massive multi-million dollar beach homes and modest to low-income housing. In some cases, she even wiped out entire communities.

With so much devastation, many families who lost everything are still finding a way to be thankful that they’re at least still alive and together, but with the holidays rapidly approaching, that grateful feeling can turn to depression and anger very quickly. Fortunately, it’s not difficult for just about anyone to get involved and find a way to give the victims of Sandy, or anyone suffering from their circumstances, a reason to feel thankful this holiday season.

Simple Ways to Spread the Thanksgiving Spirit

Foster a family. If you know someone who suffered a financial loss from Sandy, or for any other reason, invite them to be part of your family on the holiday. Most families typically make way more than they can eat on Thanksgiving, so the only cost to you is giving up those hot turkey sandwiches made from the leftovers.

Restock a fridge. Even those who didn’t lose their homes may have lost power, some for as long as two weeks! For those without a generator to keep the refrigerator going, that could mean hundreds of dollars of lost food. Help a family out by buying the basic necessities to create a Thanksgiving feast.

Arrange a cleanup crew. While many homes were left standing after Sandy, they still may have suffered damage from the flooding, falling trees, and high winds. Organize neighbors and friends into a cleanup crew to help pick up debris, vacuum carpets, and restore a little order to damaged homes. Just make sure the homes have been declared safe before entering them.

Harness the power of crowdfunding to raise donations to help those in need. Crowdfunding isn’t exactly a new concept, but in recent years it’s finally started catching on as a way to raise money for both causes and businesses. Talk to everyone you know and ask if they would be willing to make even a small donation to help a family in need. While many people can’t afford to give large amounts, even if 100 people give $10, it would help make Thanksgiving brighter for dozens of families.

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C2C Alert! The Click2Cause Weekly Has Launched!

Posted on November 18, 2012 by click2cause

At Click2Cause, we are always looking for ways to keep you informed…whether it’s the latest news on the growth of crowdfunding, or just the latest gadget to come on the market that might make your day a little easier. Now we’ve compiled some of what we’ve found in an online newspaper….our first, aptly named THE CLICK2CAUSE WEEKLY.

In this week’s edition, you can find out how to plan a budget-friendly Thanksgiving, different ways to help victims of Hurricane Sandy, as well as check out a new way to give Amazon gift cards for those on your holiday list!

We’d love it if you subscribe while you check it out…and then we’ll send you the newest edition every weekend for you to enjoy!

Click on the pic below to be taken to the Click2Cause Weekly,

Subscribe Today!

Visit :http://paper.li/click2cause/1352649655


 

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