The benefits of getting involved in your community are no secret.
Volunteering has been proven to increase happiness by producing serotonin, dopamine and endorphins, and it may also help you live longer by lowering your blood pressure. Volunteering and giving back are self-care tools that can help us all get through hard times.
But the benefits don’t end at the individual; communities thrive when people unite to support one another. At The Foster Alliance, when our volunteers make a card for a foster child’s birthday or help to hang clothing in the foster boutique, they are doing so much more than providing cards or clothes. They are helping a child know they aren’t alone in this world.
When we think of getting involved, often we think of mainstays that can feel out of reach as families are working to make ends meet in our ever-busy lives. In this article, we’ll explore a few lesser-known ways to support your community.
Donate, get it All back
In Arizona, we benefit from a unique program that allows taxpayers to direct how they want their taxes used. Through the Charitable Tax Credit program, you can amplify your community support and receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for donations made to qualifying charitable organizations up to certain limits.
For example, if you would like to support a Qualified Foster Care Organization (QFCO), single taxpayers can donate up to $526, and those filing jointly can donate up to $1,051. Donors of The Foster Alliance who file jointly could provide over a year’s worth of diapers, 53 pairs of shoes, 26 outfits or four beds to children on the foster care journey. Be sure to consult with a tax professional to fully leverage this opportunity and make the most of your charitable contributions without impacting your pocketbook.
Hosting your own drive
One of the most direct ways to support your community is by hosting your own drive for a cause you're passionate about. At The Foster Alliance, we support more than 8,300 foster children per year, and we can only do that with the help of our community. To that end, we always have several ongoing collection drives that our volunteers support. These include new:
- Books
- Clothing
- Shoes
- Underwear
- Diapers
- Blankets
- Personal Care Items
- Toys
In our world today, hosting a drive can be completely virtual and organized from the comfort of your own home or office. Virtual drives allow community members to collect monetary contributions online or through online wish lists like the ones many nonprofits create via Amazon. When purchases are made by a donor the products are shipped directly to the organization’s preferred address automatically, without the need to step into a store or drop them off. These platforms allow volunteers to get the word out about real community needs while providing convenience and flexibility for donors.
Volunteering from home, office
You may have experienced volunteering through participating in large-scale, in person activities but these are not the only way.
Many non-profit organizations established new virtual volunteering opportunities through the pandemic, and many have kept them after seeing the impact they make. For example, at The Foster Alliance, friend groups, companies and individuals make birthday cards to help celebrate a foster child’s birthday without ever stepping into our resource center. Sewing clubs make blankets, teams collect and pack personal care kits and families create party bags at their convenience.
These activities are not just easy and accessible to anyone’s budget or schedule, but they also bond families, friends and work teams together.
In conclusion, supporting your community goes beyond traditional methods of volunteering and donations. These unique and easy approaches not only address specific needs, but also foster a sense of connection and compassion within your community and are a tool for us to practice self-care. If you are interested in learning how you can make a huge difference in the life of a child experiencing foster care through The Foster Alliance, visit thefosteralliance.org.
Bethany Eggleston is vice president of development and marketing at The Foster Alliance.
