Do you feel you have more to give the world but can’t quite grasp what it is? Or are life’s other commitments getting in the way? There is a way that you can follow your passion, make a difference, change a life even, while at the same time managing your personal commitments.
Many small local charities are created following a life-changing experience. It could be the death of a loved one, an illness or someone seeing something they feel can be changed for the better. This means these small charities are often run by only one or two people. Sure, some people are willing to volunteer and help for specific events but the day to day running is generally left to the originators of the mission.
In today’s world, there are more charities than there are people able to fund them.
The Charities Aid Foundation posted a great piece about why giving to charities is so important:
Five Reasons To Give To Charity
They covered things such as how it makes you feel. “The knowledge that you’re helping others is hugely empowering and, in turn, can make you feel happier and more fulfilled”.
Helping charities can strengthen your personal values. “Social conscience was the most widely-given reason to give to charity”. 96% of people said they felt a moral duty to use what they had to help others.
And then there’s the positive impact on your children “Sharing the experience of donating to charity with your children shows them from a very young age that they can make positive changes in the world”.
For a charity to survive and indeed thrive it needs regular fundraising but just as importantly the charity has to be noticed sharing the stories of the good it is doing.
The founder(s) of the charity suddenly need to be able to do a multitude of roles, the admin, the IT person, the fundraiser, the marketer, applying for grants, managing the accounts, writing newsletters, blogs, updating the website, posting on Facebook, Instagram, WhatApp, arranging events. The list goes on.
I find myself in precisely that place.
As a small non-profit charity both Sue and I work full time so we have to try and grow the charity in the spare time we have. Over the last six months, I have enrolled in courses to learn how to build a website, possibly the one you are currently on, learning how to create compelling meaningful content (still struggling!), creating ads, blogging, creating, editing and publishing videos.
I have really enjoyed learning these new skills but it takes a lot of time to get adequate at them. Being a professional is a way off yet. This got me thinking. How many people are there out there that have hobbies or skills that could help small charities?
“But it is only my hobby, I’m not yet good enough”. Many people have thought that and then gone on to bring something special to the world, why not you?
Some people love creative writing, it’s their passion but what they write is never seen outside the walls of the family home. Some people just want to make interesting videos but don’t know what subject would capture someones imagination. And so on….
Copywriters
Bloggers
Accountants
Photography & Video
Strategists
Mentors
Grant Writers
Designers
Artists
Social Media
Website Builders
Fundraising folk
People with good networks
Event coordinators and more
So many interests that just a small donation of time and skills to a charity would make a world of difference to those they are trying to help.
Are you perhaps a stay at home mum? You want to be there for the children but you are missing that buzz of writing a great piece for the office. Now the children are a little more self-reliant are you feeling that your day is not fulfilled. The beauty of working for small charities is that everything you can do has such a great impact on them, it is appreciated and valued.
Why not reach out to a cause you care about, ask the charity if they would like a little of your time doing what you love to do? Who knows where it could lead?