The days are short, the Thanksgiving leftovers are devoured and Christmas music is playing in every café: It’s officially the holiday season.
As Americans prepare their menus and shopping lists, many are also using this time of year to give back to their communities.
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According to a recent report from Americorps, more than 75.7 million people, or about 28 percent of Americans, officially signed up for a total of nearly 5 billion hours of service last year. But there isn’t much information about how many people volunteer specifically during the holidays, Allison Russell, an assistant professor of public and nonprofit management at the University of Texas at Dallas, told PBS News in an email.
Nonprofit professionals and volunteer administrators have told Russell that their organizations often see an influx of volunteers during the holidays, “which often coincides with hosting a specific event, such as a seasonal fundraiser.”
PBS News spoke with experts to find out how your winter volunteer work can make the biggest impact. Here are five tips for giving back during the holidays and beyond, as well as a few ideas to make your donations count.
Do what you enjoy…
First of all, experts say, consider volunteering in a field you enjoy.
“If you’re interested in the arts, check out a local community theater to see if you can help with the gift shop or as an usher,” said Rick Cohen, chief operating officer at the National Council of Nonprofits. “If you love animals, animal shelters are always looking for volunteers.”
People who enjoy working with children might consider opportunities in children’s hospitals. If you enjoy driving, look for organizations that offer transportation options for people with limited mobility. In senior living facilities, volunteers often care for residents, especially those whose families are not nearby.
If you have many interests, figure out which one is the least common, Cohen said, because that’s the one least likely to get the support you need.
…or do what you’re good at
For those who find it difficult to enter a new social environment or interact with people, skills-based volunteering can be a great way to give back.
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“Everyone has a gift, talent or ability,” said Angela F. Williams, United Way president and CEO.
Bring those talents to nonprofits and offer your services, Williams said. If you can create websites, find a nonprofit without one. If you’re a writer or marketer, help a local charity spread the word.
Lawyers “know how to put together the paperwork to form a nonprofit or file the annual reports,” she said.
Don’t be afraid to ask
Don’t know where to start? Reach out to nonprofits that interest you and ask them directly what help they need, Cohen said.
Not all organizations have a comprehensive list on their website of all the tasks they need volunteers for, he said. Organizations may also find it helpful if you suggest a set of direct skills you have or an area in which you can help. Sometimes they may not have the opportunity, Cohen said, but “it never hurts to ask.”
If you have absolutely no idea how you could help an organization or make a difference that you care about, follow them on social media and subscribe to newsletters, Williams said.
“Then it’s a constant reminder: Hey, they’re there. They need you,” she said.
Make it a group activity
Volunteering in your community can help reinforce prosocial behavior, said Nathan Dietz, research director at the Do Good Institute at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy. Try to look for volunteer opportunities with friends, family and neighbors, he said.
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“Don’t get me wrong: I think if you go somewhere alone, you can offer something valuable and will almost inevitably have a great, fulfilling experience,” he said. But just being with people you know is one of the strongest reasons to get involved.
Many communities also have listservs, Facebook groups, or newsletters that allow you to find others in your area who would like to volunteer with you.
“I think that after the pandemic, many people have lost the habit of doing things together in person,” Dietz said. “I truly believe that the more we take the opportunity to do this with people, the better everything will be.”
Not all community volunteer work has to be through formal nonprofit organizations, Cohen said. Maybe you have a neighbor recovering from knee surgery who could use help shoveling her driveway, or perhaps there is a local support group that triages and organizes people’s most pressing needs. Use these community networks to provide general services such as manual labor or transportation assistance.
Make a long-term commitment
Organizations don’t just serve people during the holidays, so consider making volunteer work a part of your regular routine. An organization that needs help in December will likely need the same help in June, all three experts said.
“You see this rush of volunteerism around the holidays and unfortunately it tapers off right after, and nonprofits need that support year-round,” Cohen said. Even if you choose a different volunteer opportunity each month, you’re helping nonprofits beyond the holiday season, he said.
“There is a need in our communities 365 days a year. And that’s why we can’t forget to be neighborly or take care of our communities as we move past the holidays,” Williams said.
Would you rather donate than volunteer?
Nonprofits across the country are struggling to recruit and retain small and medium-sized donors, even as formal volunteerism is gradually recovering from the lows of the pandemic, according to an October report from the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Cohen suggested four tips for assessing whether you want to donate to an organization.
- Determine the actual work of an organization. If you’re donating to a cancer organization, try to find out if they’re researching a cure or providing care to patients and families. You don’t have to decide whether one path is better than the other, but you should know where your money is going. “The most important way to evaluate an organization is its impact and whether the work it does aligns with your passion,” Cohen said.
- Don’t spend too much time reviewing tax forms. In the past, some fundraising advice recommended figuring out how much donated money went to overhead and administrative costs versus programming. That’s not particularly useful, Cohen said. “Because of the way nonprofit finances work, these tax forms are not as helpful as people might think,” he said. “Lower overhead does not mean more efficiency.”
- If you donate goods, check the condition of your donation. If you don’t plan on using it or wearing it, it’s probably not worth donating. Organizations must sort donations, which takes time, and are responsible for disposing of unusable items, which costs money.
- Try to commit to monthly donations. Through recurring donations, organizations can rely on stable funding. “If you become a recurring donor and donate a certain amount each month, that gives the organization a little more security,” Cohen said. Additionally, your $10 monthly donation will put the organization ahead slightly, compared to $100 at the end of the year.
