Long-Lasting and Impactful Ways to Support Your Community

We are all tasked with being good stewards of the communities in which we live. But what can we actually do that will have a lasting impact? Today we share six great answers to that question that are guaranteed to help you make a positive, lasting impact on your area.

Volunteer

Volunteering in a hands-on role is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your community (and yourself). When you take your time and put it into others, you plant a seed that will spread long after your job is done. A few ways to volunteer include offering free lessons, distributing food, tutoring at-need children, or helping out at your local animal shelter.

Make In-Kind Donations 

Making in-kind donations to your local animal shelter is an excellent way to support the animals in need and contribute to the shelter’s operation. Many shelters rely on donations to provide food, shelter, and medical care for animals, making every contribution valuable. You can donate items such as litter, food, towels, or even high-quality cat trees to provide the animals with a comfortable and enriching environment. Donating these items not only helps the animals but also reduces the strain on the shelters’ resources, allowing the staff to focus on providing the best possible care. Donating to your local animal shelter can be a rewarding experience that fosters a sense of community and compassion for animals.

Become a Pet Foster 

Fostering pets can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience. By providing temporary care for animals in need, you are helping to alleviate the overcrowding in animal shelters and providing a loving environment for pets while they wait for their forever homes. Fostering also allows for more one-on-one attention and socialization than a shelter setting, which can increase the chances of successful adoptions.

Foster Children 

Nationally, there are more than 400,000 children in foster care. There are nowhere near enough families to adequately care for these kids, who are often considered at high risk or are victims of abuse and neglect. As a foster family, you will provide a safe and loving home, and you may even have the option to adopt later down the road.

Raise Awareness 

No matter where you live, there are plenty of issues that need awareness. Many people might not know, for example, the sheer volume of children waiting in a foster home or how badly your local industrial area affects the environment. To raise awareness, start a website, pass out flyers, or volunteer to canvas your neighborhood during the next election.

Another great way to drive awareness is to create an awareness walk. An awareness walk can be a useful tool to build local awareness around an important issue. Take a look at a local walk score map to find the best places nearby to hold the walk. Once you have an area in mind, work with promoters, local businesses, and local government to make your awareness walk a success.

Start a Nonprofit

There are many reasons why you might want to start a nonprofit organization. Perhaps you’re passionate about a cause and want to make a difference. Or maybe you’ve seen firsthand the impact that a nonprofit can have on people’s lives and you want to create something similar. Whatever your motivations, there are some important steps you’ll need to take to get started.

First, you’ll need to choose the right structure for your organization and lay out bylaws. When you register as a nonprofit corporation, you’ll be protected from personal liability, gain tax benefits, and have an easier time applying for grants and public funding. 

Next, you’ll need to have a process for invoicing, bookkeeping, and tracking donations. Cloud accounting software for nonprofits keeps all your accounting tasks on one platform, can create custom reports, and allows you to track your nonprofit’s budget in real time.

Mentor 

We’ve already mentioned making an impact as a teacher, but you don’t have to have a degree in education to mentor a child. Mentors can work with kids outside of an academic environment to do everything from helping them pursue a passion to providing emotional support. Further, you get to be a positive role model, which can start a domino effect of positivity that will ripple through for generations to come.

Clean a Park 

The parts within our community serve as much more than a place to play. They are often the only locations where children can truly be free and feel safe. But, unfortunately, there are many people that look at public green space as their own personal garbage can. With little more than trash bags and manpower, you can help keep these playgrounds, parks, and play spaces clean and safe for the kids in your life. Start by making a decision on where you want to clean and then work with community leaders or volunteer organizations to rally the troops.

Make Your Community a Better Place

Making an impact in your community isn’t that difficult. The most important things you can have are the desire to make a difference and the drive to make it happen. Remember, everything you do today will have a profound effect on the place you call home for long after your efforts are over.

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