Charity is an undeniably important aspect of life. Whether it provides a meal for a hungry family, allows a homeless person to sleep in a warm bed for a night or sends life-saving aid to people living in poverty across the world, the benefits and rewards that charity can bring really are endless.
However, it can be incredibly easy to get caught up in the trappings of everyday life. In today’s fast-paced, online environment, everything is expected instantly and as a result, constant communication, an inability to fully switch off and a lack of free time are becoming more and more commonplace.
Sadly, this shift towards the digital age leaves us with precious little time to ourselves. In this diminished personal time, we must curate our hobbies, exercise or go to the gym, spend time with our family and friends and, somehow, find time to relax and destress. Although schedules, routines and prioritising can help, is it really any wonder why so many of us struggle to find the motivation to get out of bed in the morning?
We all know and understand the importance of charity, but it can be incredibly difficult to find the time to discover the benefits it can bring to our own lives. Performing acts of kindness and generosity have the ability to enrich our lives and help us feel good about ourselves; just think, after a long, tiring day, seeing a smile light up someone’s face after you’ve helped brighten their day will instantly make things seem worthwhile.
So, if you do want to increase your interaction with charity but struggle to find the spare time to commit to length fundraising processes or high donation targets, here are a few tips, tricks and ideas to help you maximise the time you have available for charity.
Start Small
Even just offering a friendly smile and a listening ear can go a long way towards helping someone in need of comfort – charity doesn’t have to mean grandiose gestures and expensive donations. Offer to pick up some groceries for your neighbour the next time you go shopping, then drop your spare change into a charity collection tin on your way out of the shop. This way, you are helping multiple people without even going out of your way at all!
Choose Wisely
It may sound harsh but trying to support a cause that you are not passionate about is probably just going to be a waste of time. When you have limited time and resources available, try to focus on charities and organisations that mean a lot to you on a personal level – this way, you will automatically be more motivated to help them succeed. If you aren’t sure who to support, consider doing a little research and finding out about current disasters and emergencies going on across the world. For instance, you can visit this site to find more information on how you can help the vulnerable Rohingya people in Burma.
Get Involved
The more people that you can convince to get involved, the quicker and easier your charitable endeavours will become. Whether it’s family, friends or people in your local community, asking the people close to you to help out will make things much more fun. After all, if you can combine enjoyment with charity, everyone will be winning!
At the end of the day, it is essential that you feel confident and comfortable with the amount of time, money and effort you are expending on behalf of your chosen charity. You should never feel obliged to donate above your means or spend time volunteering instead of seeing your loved ones or looking after your own health and well-being, which is why it is important to work to find that happy medium between generosity and your own welfare.
Even the smallest acts of kindness and generosity truly do have the ability to reach and enrich many people’s lives, so don’t feel pressured into taking on more than you can manage. With the right mindset, you will be amazed at what you are able to achieve!