Charity Internships: Why They’re Worth It

As many college students are aware, the job market grows increasingly competitive across all career fields. Finding a really well-paying job immediately after graduation can often seem like a pipe dream. Similarly, paid internships are becoming fewer and far between.

If you’re an undegrad or grad student who’s not having much luck finding a paid position for the summer, maybe it’s time to think beyond the money. Here are just a few reasons to consider donating your time in exchange for some valuable experience.

1. Field experience is valuable whether it’s paid or not. No, it won’t pay your rent. But being able to gain hands-on-experience in what you plan to do for a living is rarely, if ever, a bad idea.
2. There are often great travel opportunities involved. Many charities, depending on their cause, want interns to work on location. If you’re applying for somewhere that offers relief and aid in certain countries, the organization may very well want you to spend time there. While travel expenses will be a factor, many places do offer to cover the costs of living while you’re on location.
3. It shows employers that you’re passionate about something. Looking great on paper is important, but it won’t differentiate you from that wide pool of applicants with better grades and more experience. However, many employers want to get a sense of humanity, which is why interviews are such a large part of the employee selection process. Interning for a charity you support gives insight into the kind of person you are, and employers want to know these things.
4. You will be helping others as well as yourself. In addition to getting the work experience you desire, you will be helping a cause much greater than yourself. If you’ve ever volunteered, then you’ll understand that often the greatest benefits go far beyond the individual.

There are a multitude of available resources to help you travel to almost anywhere in the world. Here are a few to get you started:

• www.projects-abroad.org
• http://www.goabroad.com/volunteer-abroad
• http://www.yfuusa.org/ (Youth For Understanding: Intercultural Exchange Programs)

 

Think about it!

~C.C.

We Have a Facebook Page!

About time, I know. But still exciting!

The goal with Charity College has always been to connect with people who care about the world and are interested in helping it through community service and charitable acts. Help us build a community where we can share ideas and engage in service together!

So please ‘like’ Charity College on Facebook! www.facebook.com/CharityCollege

~C.C.

Back to School #CharityChallenge!

Hello all,

Hopefully most of you remember a previous post I did about Tab for a Cause. I’m here to let you know that this wonderful organization is hosting a charity challenge through their app!

Join in this great event to help our children become better educated. If you haven’t already, download the Tab for a Cause app at www.tabforacause.org and check out my previous post to learn more about how it works.

2015 Summer Charity Events

All over the U.S., spring semesters are ending and students are trying to figure out what to do with themselves for the next 2 months. Why not something charitable? Here are just a few ways you can have fun and relax while contributing to a good cause.

For The Party People

BeachGlow Music Festival 2015: BeachGlow is a non-profit music festival run entirely by volunteers, primarily college students. The festival is an all-day event featuring numerous performances, and proceeds benefit a different charity each year. (Fun Fact: BeachGlow: Concerts for Charity was founded by a 16-year-old DJ in 2011.) This year the charity is Little Kids Rock, which provides instruments and training so that public school kids have the access to music education. Visit www.beachglow.org to find more about ticket prices and this year’s artists.

For The Gamers

LANFest 2015: LANFest is a non-profit organization that holds LAN parties and gaming events to raise money for charities. This year it is hosting mini-BASH 4, LANFest Atlanta Summer, LANFest Northwest June, and an MLP (Massive LAN Party). The charity that will be benefiting from all this is Child’s Play, which provides video games and toys to children in hospitals and domestic abuse shelters. Visit lanfest.intel.com to learn more about how to join the action.

Summer Games Done Quick: A series of charity video game marathons that feature high-level by speedrunners raising money for charity. Games Done Quick has a 5-year history and has worked with foundations like Doctors Without Borders and the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Summer Games Done Quick is one of their two annual events. Find out how you can take part at gamesdonequick.com.

For The Athletes

RACE Cancer Foundation: This organization creates numerous events to raise funds an awareness for charitable projects and organizations. RACE specializes in 5ks and marathons across the nation. Check out the RaceMenu to find an event in your area.

You can volunteer to work at any of the events listed! This typically comes with the added perk of free admittance and gear.

If you know of any other good charity or volunteer events for the summer, share them in the comments!

~C.C.

What Causes Are You Most Passionate About? (POLL)

You can pick up to 3 different causes. This is a general interest poll. I try to post about a variety of things, but it’s nice to see what people are most receptive to. I tried to be as inclusive as possible with the categories, but if you feel I missed something then please suggest it. 🙂

Why You DON’T Have to Donate

It may seem weird to be making a post about not donating on a blog dedicated to charity, but I think this is important and worth mentioning.

You don’t have to give to charity. Charity, by its nature, is optional. Whether or not you donate regularly, occasionally, or not at all, you should never feel obligated to donate to charity. Similarly, you should never feel bad about not donating. I recognize that this is the time of year when many organizations are more direct in asking for money. There are the collectors outside stores ringing bells, cashiers asking if you’d like to add another dollar or two to your purchase, and maybe even some door-to-door callers. With all of these things seemingly happening at once, I know it sometimes feels hard to say no. And when you do you sometimes feel like you’re being selfish or greedy. But at times like that it’s important to remember that charity is about supporting causes that are important to you and that benefit others. It’s okay to not want to give a dollar to some charity you’ve never heard of just because someone at a register asks you to.

No one is judging you. Cashiers are required to ask for donations sometimes, and your ‘no’ is not the first they’ve heard. They do not think any less of you. Neither do the bell ringers. People understand that not everyone can or will give to their cause and they go into these endeavors expecting a healthy amount of rejection. You are not personally hurting their feelings by not donating. And no one is looking down on you if you can only give a few cents as apposed to a few dollars. It’s appreciated all the same.

Reputable organizations do not heckle and guilt people into contributing. If you’re feeling an unusual amount of pressure to donate to something (numerous emails, phone calls, etc.) then the problem lies with whoever is asking for money from you.  If someone is being particularly aggressive in trying to get a donation from you, get the name of whatever organization they claim to represent, and contact the organization directly. It’s possible someone could just be using the organization name to weasel money out of people.

You don’t have to be a martyr. If donating at any point in time means not eating or paying the bills, don’t do it. Wait until you’re in a stable enough financial situation to feel comfortable about giving. Being charitable isn’t something that should make your life difficult.

Avoid being charitable just because you’ve been put on the spot. A wise philanthropist does research into the organizations they want to contribute to. When it comes to monetary donations, it’s important to know if the organization is legitimate and how they utilize their donations. You should also understand what you are feasibly able to give and how you can best do so. In some cases, it turns out that the best way to personally help out an organization is by volunteering for them rather than giving them money.

Ultimately, what I’m trying to say is that charity and philanthropy should feel good. It should make you feel proud and inspired and productive. If you’re in a situation where contributing to a charity makes you feel uneasy, guilty, or regretful then remove yourself from the situation. It’s okay to walk past the donation jar.

~C.C.

Shopping for the Greater Good

As your holiday shopping gets underway, now is a great time to consider buying gifts for the greater good. There are hundreds of items, from clothes to jewelry to kids’ toys, that you can buy this holiday season to support a cause you’re passionate about.

The Greater Good hosts several websites that contribute to multiple causes. They include:

• The Hunger Site
• The Breast Cancer Site
• The Animal Rescue Site
• The Veterans Site
• The Autism Site
• The Alzheimer’s Site
• The Diabetes Site
• The Literacy Site
• The Rainforest Site

Each site features hundreds of everyday items. Clothing, shoes, jewelry, toys, home decor, books, and much much more. Many of the products are fair trade and support artisans in developing countries. Others support funding for research towards curing things like Alzheimer’s and diabetes. You can also donate directly to these causes through the site.

How Expensive Are The Products?

Many things you’ll find on this site are no more expensive than what you would find in a standard retail store. There are also daily sales and deals on various products. You can find small trinkets for less than $5, or some really nice boots for $20.

• Cost: Varies
• Ease: Easy
• Requirements: Internet access

In addition to buying gifts that can benefit the greater good, you can also click to support the causes. Each site features a click-to-give button that garners funds from ad revenue. You can click each site once a day to support the cause of your choice. So even if you cannot buy anything this season, you can still do a little good.

Happy shopping!

~C.C.

Just DoSomething.org

There are a multitude of causes to be supported, each with dozens upon dozens of ways to contribute. So how do you know what to do or where to start? DoSomething.org makes the process of coming up with ideas and narrowing down your options a heck of a lot easier. You just have to be willing to, well, do something.

What Is DoSomething.org?

DoSomething.org is a website aimed at high school and college students that provides ideas and incentives for different charitable acts. They provide ideas for hands-on initiatives, awareness campaigns, donation drives, and much more. For example, one of their current initiatives is to donate gently used SAT books to your local library.

The site is really easy to navigate and can help you narrow projects down to ones that are interesting and feasible for you. There are 3 basic drop-down menus that allow you to filter campaigns based on the cause you’re interested in, how much time you have on your hands, and how you want to contribute.

The website also frequently offers thousands of dollars in scholarships for students who demonstrate an extensive commitment to one of the campaigns, usually through pictures and other evidence of their initiatives.

Keep In Mind

Some campaigns are more feasible than others. One current project involves unplugging unnecessary electronics at your school, something I imagine most students wouldn’t be granted permission to do. So sometimes it requires a bit of hunting to find ideas that are really suitable for you.

• Cost: Free (usually)
• Ease: Moderate – Hard
• Requirements: Varies extensively

DoSomething.org’s campaigns typically require a lot of energy and initiative, so if you’re really passionate about charity work then this may be for you.

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and do something!

~C.C.

(Speaking of doing something, are you taking the Charity College #GivingTuesday Challenge? It’s an easy and great way to make a difference during the holidays. Check it out!)

#GivingTuesday Challenge!

This year, I’m super excited to take part in a new initiative that I’m hoping you, dear readers, will do with me. Following the days of frenzied shopping (Black Friday and Cyber Monday), #GivingTuesday is a day to give back to the community.

On Tuesday, December 2, 2014, charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give. (www.givingtuesday.org)

The Challenge

I challenge all Charity College readers to do one of the following on December 2nd:

1. Donate something to the charity of your choosing. (Money, clothes, canned goods, etc.)
2. Volunteer for an organization, school, church, etc. (Find opportunities here.)
3. Use one of the free and easy apps I’ve featured in other blog posts to contribute. (Charity Miles, Donate-A-Photo, Freerice.com, etc.)
4. Join the #UNselfie movement.

#GivingTuesday, as the hashtag might suggest, is relying on social media to help spread the word and good deeds, so share this post as much as you can! I also encourage you to join the Charity College #GivingTuesday group.

I’d love to see some comments from you guys. What charity are you most excited to help out? Which challenge option do you plan to choose? Or do you have other ideas entirely? Let me know!

~C.C.

Get Crafty: Knit-A-Square

As I’ve mentioned before, Knit-A-Square is one of my favorite charity organizations. Although they are small, they do a lot of great work for the children in South Africa, and they make it really easy for you to see how you’re impacting the lives of people so far away.

What KAS Does

The organization aims to support children orphaned and afflicted by the AIDS epidemic. Due to the disease, many young children are not only left without parents, but also without the basic necessities of life. KAS assists charities and orphanages within southern Africa by providing children with hand-made blankets, clothing, and even knit toys, all of which are donated by people like you and me.

Why Blankets?

Many of the children helped by KAS are infected with HIV/AIDS, which is an autoimmune disease. As a result, they are more prone to illness and other infection than your average child. Keeping the children warm is a vital part of keeping them healthy. (And yes, it does get cold in Africa too.)

How Donations Work

Most people donate to KAS by mailing in several 8 x 8 in. knitted or crocheted squares. The KAS volunteers then sew the squares together to create the blankets that they give to children. You can also donate just about anything else you can knit that would be helpful to a child: hats, scarves, stuffed animals, etc.

If you’re not a knitter, you can donate money directly to the organization. Monetary donations greatly help with things like the gas needed to drive to various locations for distributing the blankets.

• Cost: Shipping (around $20)
• Ease: Moderate (depending on your knitting abilities)
• Requirements: Knitting supplies (yarn and needles)

Contributing to KAS does require more effort than the apps and websites I typically showcase, but it is worthwhile and a great way to be hands-on about your approach to charity. KAS often posts pictures of the children wearing the blankets and warm clothes they were given, and you can actually see a child in Africa using something you made. It’s incredible.

So if you don’t know how to knit, now is a great time to learn a new skill. The KAS website even has helpful instructions on how to knit, crochet, and use a loom.

If you’re already a crafter, get started! (www.knit-a-square.com)

~C.C.