Lucy Miller
November 8, 2024
Reading time: 4 minutes
No matter how much we want to give to charity, it’s often just not possible to sign up and commit to a direct debit every month.
So how can we do good and help charitable causes when we don’t have a lot of money to spare?
Fortunately, there are several ways to incorporate helping charities into your daily life, without having to spend money you don’t have. Here are a few…
Make a donation via a cashback site
You may already be using a cashback site, but if not, we recommend signing up on giveortake.com. Unlike other cashback sites, Give or Take allows you to make a charitable donation using your cashback. This way, you don’t spend anything more than you normally would. You could earn money through cashback sites, but if you want to donate to charity and are on a tight budget, this is a great solution!
Donate to Charity Online with Charity Search Engines
Search engines don’t always have to be massive Silicon Valley-based corporations that pump billions of dollars into their founders’ pockets. In recent years, more and more search engines with social good in their hearts arose. Many of them offer money to charity every time users click, which we think is a great way to give to charity as part of your normal daily life.
Some of our favorites include:
Bénélab – this site founded by an American teenager is financed through advertising in the same way as Google. The difference is that its profits go to charity, with a different cause chosen each month.
Ecosia – Ecosia, based in Berlin, is the “search engine that plants trees”, with 80% of profits going directly to reforestation charities. Nearly 93 million trees have been planted so far
Good research – the original search engine founded with a concern for social good, Good Search donates 50% of its profits to various charities, chosen by its users. It has been around for 15 years and has since started various other charities.
So, is it time to show Google the door? We think so!
Remember to check the Gift Aid box
Never really sure what Gift Aid is? Don’t worry, we’re here to explain once and for all how this nifty government program can help charities, without any effort on your part.
Gift Aid is a long-running government scheme that gives charities a basic 20% tax break on anything you donate to them, provided you’re a UK taxpayer. The scheme has been running for 30 years and has seen billions of pounds donated to charities over that time. All you have to do is check the Gift Aid box every time you donate, sponsor your neighbor to run that 5k, etc., to make sure Gift Aid is included. Easy!
Gift Aid costs you nothing extra, but means the charity gets tax relief on your donation. This puts more money in their pockets!
Donate to charity by donating your belongings
You don’t need to give money to charity to help them. Instead of throwing away that old chair or jeans you missor those kids shoes that no longer fit, why not drop them off at your local charity shop instead?
Of course, you can also support charities by shopping at their department stores: books, DVDs, clothing and more will be significantly cheaper than at other retail stores, and you’ll be doing a good deed. Don’t forget to hand your donation bag to a member of staff and ask for the Gift Aid form to ensure they get the most out of your donations too.
play online games and donate to charity
Did you know that you can raise money for charity simply by playing games online? It turns out it’s possible!
Our new favorite find is the Free Rice Websiteof the World Food Program. For each correct answer, site sponsors will send the cash equivalent of 10 grains of rice to the World Food Program, which will use it to feed those in need around the world. Spending time on your phone has never been more useful!
We hope these tips have inspired you to donate to charity, even if you’re not able to put money in the collection box or set up a monthly direct debit. Remember that every little bit counts!
Share your charitable giving ideas
Is there anything you do to help charities that we haven’t mentioned here? Shout out to our fellow Magpies Magpie Notice Board! We love sharing tips and ideas for saving money and making money, so get involved and you could win a £25 Amazon voucher for this week’s post!
