While giving thanks, also give your time, money and voice

One of my earliest childhood memories of donating during the holidays was the annual elementary school collection of canned goods for Thanksgiving.

Green beans and sweet potatoes, lima beans and peas – I’m not sure my classmates and I completely understood who the food was for, but we earnestly contributed all that our parents sent in with us.

Decades later, I approach the holidays from the perspective of someone who works in nonprofits and who knows how heavily their budgets and donation needs can be weighted toward end-of-year generosity.

Most nonprofit professionals I know would be thrilled to see giving dispersed more evenly throughout the year, but holiday spirit and, until recently, tax incentives seem to concentrate donations in November and December.So please give to those organizations that matter to you. Your support helps to keep the lights on, pays for office supplies, and funds the other pieces and the people needed to ensure the mission gets carried out. Without you, nonprofits could not provide services and support at Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other time of the year. (As a side note, make sure your gifts of goods or dollars go to reputable organizations. Grinches come in many forms, so if you aren’t familiar with a group seeking your support, check them out through the NC Secretary of State’s office, https://www.sosnc.gov/divisions/charities. There are plenty of reputable organizations doing crucial work, so please give to them.)

While your financial gifts and other donations are vital, please also consider supporting groups that matter to you by becoming an informed advocate around the issues they’re addressing.

Giving to organizations that help those experiencing homelessness is fantastic. After you write that check, spend some time learning about how your community addresses affordable housing and show up the next time your local elected leaders are discussing the issue.

Do you walk for cancer research, mental health awareness, or to cure diabetes? Keep moving but also pay attention whenever there is policy discussion about health care reform or Medicaid expansion. There are people whose lives literally depend on them, and any changes to health-care access need your input.

Food drives still happen and they still matter, so please fill up those bins and boxes. Then do some research about a living wage so that you can speak knowledgeably and confidently about the challenges facing working families as they struggle to put food on their tables.

“If you care enough to invest your money in an organization, then investing your voice can magnify that impact with policymakers,” says David Heinen, vice president for public policy and advocacy with the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits.

And if the issue you’re passionate about impacts you or someone dear, please consider sharing your story when you reach out to decision-makers. You don’t have to betray confidences or share identifying information in order to convey how the changes being considered matter to you because they touch close to, or maybe even at, home.

Informed, thoughtful advocacy takes something almost as precious as money – time. But that’s what pushes systems to change. This holiday season, commit to supporting your chosen organizations with the donations that help them meet needs and keep the doors open but also by becoming an advocate who adds the value of your voice.