AmeriCorps is an organization that sends people to needy areas of the United States for an extended period of time. More than 70,000 Americans each year join the AmeriCorps and work to meet the country’s most critical needs in education, public safety, health, and the environment.
2) MONEY: Is it easier for you to give money than time? A few interesting Web sites offer help in choosing the best charities to donate to.
Fast Company and Monitor Group offer the Social Capitalist Awards each year to the most innovative charities. Their list of organizations, which can be found at Fast Company, offers a glimpse into some great places to spend your money. For example, the 2006 Social Capitalist Awards lists the “Top 25 Groups That Are Changing The World.” Among them are a micro-loan program, Accion International; a program working to improve rural education, Room to Read; and an organization helping human rights defenders document abuse on video, WITNESS.
3) THE CAUSE: Whether you donate your time or money, or do both, you need to be careful about choosing your cause. Do you want to work with young children? The elderly? The impoverished? Is the environment a special interest?
Decide what issue or issues you care about and tackle those. As busy as you are, if you choose to volunteer your time for a philanthropy that doesn’t fit your personality, it is going to be harder and harder to stay committed.
And one last piece of advice: keep track of your experience. Write a journal. Tell a friend. Take pictures. Document the journey. You might be surprised by how much you learn from the people you’re “helping.”
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