Are you thinking of getting involved in helping your community? Read on to learn more ways of supporting causes in your local community.
4 Ways To Support Causes In Your Local Community
Each person within the community is leading their own busy life. Some are busy running their businesses, attending classes, taking care of their homes, or going to their jobs. But even with hectic schedules, everyone should make time to help their community.
Giving back to your community won’t only make you feel good, but you can also uplift others in many ways. When the members of society make time to help one another, you can build a strong community filled with great relationships and collaborations. (1)
Supporting causes in your local community can be done in many forms, and they also offer perks and benefits such as: (1)
- Get an opportunity to connect with others
- Boosts your career
- Makes you feel happy, energized, and more inspired
- Provides you a sense of fulfillment or purpose
When choosing how to help your community, you can base it on your skillset or passion. To spark more ideas, here are four ways to support causes in your community and be more involved in uplifting your local area.
1. Donate to local charities
One of the most popular ways to support a local cause is by donating. There are many ways you can donate to charities and programs that matter to you. For example, suppose you’d like to help the victims and survivors of natural calamities or disasters. In that case, you can donate your old but usable clothes, furniture, and other items that may help these families bounce back and start their lives again. If you’d like to support charities centered on helping children or teens with disabilities, you can donate cash to help with their medications or treatments. (1)
You may also encounter large charities that are more widely known not only in your community but also within the state or city. Preferably, you can focus on donating to small and lesser-known charities as they most likely have minimal resources and donors. Ultimately, donating to charities close to home means you’re uplifting your local community and helping people within your society.
2. Promote or shop in local businesses
Another way to support your community is by shopping or promoting local businesses in your area. If possible, buy from the businesses within your area and minimize shopping from foreign companies or franchises. Supporting local businesses will improve the local economy and help create more jobs for the locals in your area. (2)
Local shopping is also good for the environment, particularly if the products are manufactured locally since there’s no need to export or import them. So, for example, if there are plenty of T-shirts local shops or local custom business shirts within your area, you can shop and wear their custom shirts to support and promote their local business.
Here are other ways to promote or support local businesses:
- Refer them to your family or friends
- Follow their social media accounts and promote them online
- Leave positive reviews
- Tip generously
- Build a good relationship with the owner and staff
If you’re a local business owner, cross networking with other local businesses will help you reach more shoppers and, at the same time, promote other local business owners: a win-win setup. (2)
3. Start or participate in fundraising events
If you’re passionate about a particular cause in your community, you can show your support by participating or, better yet, starting a fundraising event intended for that cause. Aside from contributing to the cause, fundraising events are a perfect way to promote teamwork, enhance the community spirit, and boost the morale of community members. Fundraising events don’t need to be tedious or complicated. As mentioned earlier, you can support your community based on your skillset or passion. (1)
For example, if you’re a skilled baker, you can organize a bake sale, and the funds from this activity will be donated to your supported cause. If you’re into physical activities, you can start a sponsored walk or marathon. If you’re into arts or crafts, you can create same day custom shirts, next day custom tees, custom shirts for business, custom company shirts, and other customized apparel. The best thing about customized clothes is that they can serve as a reminder or memento for the buyers that they’re able to participate and help a particular cause. You can even source your shirts from a local custom t shirt shop so you can generate funds for your favorite cause while helping a local business at the same time.
4. Make time to volunteer
If you don’t have enough money or resources to donate or shop, you can still support local causes by volunteering and offering your time. Volunteers play an essential role for charities and non-profit organizations as they rely on their work to keep their programs running. What’s more, volunteering is also beneficial for your personal development as it helps you learn new skills and get a chance to meet and connect with new people. (3)
When choosing which program or organization to volunteer, assess yourself first and determine which cause you care for the most and the skills you can offer. For example, if you’re skillful in handling animals, you can volunteer at animal shelters and adoption centers. If you have a green thumb, you can volunteer to help with planting trees and other environmental programs. If you have the skill or passion for caring for people, you can volunteer at retirement homes or homeless shelters. Participating in volunteering activities will give you a sense of purpose as you’re creating a big difference for your local community. (1)
Key Takeaway
Many things are happening all over the world, and some of you might think your small efforts couldn’t make a difference. But when your small effort is combined with the individual efforts in your community, you can all make a difference in the people’s lives around you. The simple actions listed above will help you get started in uplifting your local community, and together, you can create a greater and more noticeable impact.
References:
- “Helping The Community – Ways To Get Involved”, Source: https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/helping-the-community/
- “10 Ways to Give Back to Your Community”, Source: https://www.inc.com/john-rampton/10-ways-to-give-back-to-your-community.html
- “Ways To Help Your Community Right Now”, Source: https://www.colorado.edu/today/2020/07/08/3-ways-help-your-community-right-now