More Than Money

If you want to give, but don’t have cash, you should consider making donations of goods or time.

Give Up the Goods

Start with the stuff that’s been piling up in your spare room or garage. The Salvation Army and Goodwill are always looking for all sorts of items—clothes, furniture, dishes, assorted knick-knacks—to sell in their stores, with the proceeds used to fund their charitable programs. Another resource is the Canadian Diabetes Association, which will pick up your used clothing, housewares and furniture, and sell them in turn to Value Village (Village des valeurs in Quebec).

Virtually any merchandise can find a new home. Looking to discard old computer equipment? Individuals and businesses can donate to the Computers for Schools program, which supplies hardware to schools, libraries and not-for-profit learning centres across Canada. For other types of hardware, consider Habitat for Humanity’s ReStores, which re-sell a wide range of building supplies, from paint to hardware to, yes, even the kitchen sink.

Locally, try contacting organizations like women’s shelters or your community’s social service groups to see if they’re interested in your wares. For links and ideas on who accepts what, check out Charity Village, an online resource for the non-profit sector. It includes a section listing organizations across Canada that take donations of goods, broken down by category—everything from electronic equipment to vehicles.

Beyond goods, your time can be even more valuable to charities.  According to the Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating, Canadians volunteer about 2 billion hours a year. Sounds impressive, but much of this support comes from a narrow band of the population: 11% of Canadians account for 77% of all volunteer hours.  So we can all do much more.

Take the Time

Wondering how your skills and experience can do the most good in a volunteer capacity? The Charity Village website has a section on volunteering, where you can enter the type of volunteer role you’re seeking, the type of organization you want to give your time to, and your location. The search tool will list some perfect matches.

Your community may also have a volunteer centre, which can connect your interests and abilities with local needs in sectors such as social services, health, the arts and recreation. To locate your closest volunteer centre, check the website of Volunteer Canada.