CA-CHING!

One of the best ways to work charitable giving into your budget is to make a monthly pledge. You also could opt to have a charity deduct the amount directly from your checking or savings account, or ask your employer if it will send a portion of your check directly to a charity of your choice.

Donate money to local non-profits serving homeless children (this is tax-deductible!).  Click on the links below to easily donate a few dollars to San Francisco organisations serving homeless children:

http://www.hcnkids.org/how-to-help/

http://drawbridge.org/getinvolved.html

http://www.childrenofshelters.org/support-us

http://www.raphaelhouse.org/give/

http://compass-sf.org/get-involved/homelessness

http://compass-sf.org/get-involved/compass-childrens-center-scholarship-fund
https://atthecrossroads.org/ways-to-get-involved/
http://larkinstreetyouth.org/how-you-can-help/for-volunteer/individuals/#shortv

If - like many of us struggling to survive in the Bay Area these days - it isn’t financially feasible to donate money there are other options to contribute… Can you put a donation jar in your workplace staff room? Have a bake sale with your kids? (This offers the bonus of educating your children on social justice issues.) Skip a coffee drink for one day each week and donate that money? Yes, even a few dollars will help these organisations. Every little bit truly helps.

Follow local and national homeless organisations on social media to stay updated with their fundraising drives.  This way, even if you don’t have money to donate, with one “click” these calls to action can easily be shared  with your friends and family who might be able to contribute a few dollars.

Often, organisations working with homeless children have a wishlist on their website. This can be another way to donate even if your finances are tight. Maybe they need art supplies, books and toys or household supplies as they move families into housing… things you might have to spare at home.

If you are considering donating your vehicle, keep organisations serving homeless kids in mind.

Donate to national organisations:

http://www.naehcy.org/donate

http://www.standupforkids.org/donate/default.aspx

http://nationalhomeless.org/taking-action/giving/

http://www.endhomelessness.org/pages/donate

https://atthecrossroads.org/ways-to-get-involved/

Ways to get yourself, your friends, your workplace and your groups involved with organisations serving homeless children:

There are so many creative ways to support organisations, other than donating or volunteering. Here are just a few:

You can have an enormous impact on these organisations by raising community awareness and  sharing the work they do with your friends and family.

Many organisations have fundraising events (such as: At The Crossroads’ sponsored walkathon: I Think I Can Website Summer SunDay website)

Does your workplace give money to non-profits? Corporations donate billions of dollars each year to nonprofits - find out if your workplace does so.  Ask your employer, CEO, or manager if your company does any corporate giving. If they do, find out what the next step would be to make a donation to a local nonprofit serving homeless children.

Does your workplace offer matching gifts? Many corporations will match employee donations. If you plan to make a donation to an organisation serving homeless children, find out whether your company provides matching donations first.

Arrange in-kind donations. Help organisations get donations for events, thank you bags, or silent auction.  There are many ways to get involved here; including making phone calls, visiting local stores, sending letters and e-mails, picking up donations, or putting together community outreach materials.  Your level of involvement is completely up to you!

Will the company you work for donate in-kind products or services? Many non-profits serving the homeless population depend on a wide variety of in-kind donations to keep their organisations running and their clients supported. If your company has a product or service that could help an organisation serving homeless families you might consider making a connection with a local nonprofit to find out how your company can contribute. Think outside of the box! There is so much that these organisations need, from back to school supplies to diapers to flash drives.

Do a sock drive for ATC. Recently, two of our volunteers went to their coworkers and asked them to bring in 2 pairs of clean socks or 2 dollars to purchase socks for ATC. They ended up donating more than 100 pairs of socks, and gathered some other items for our clients. Do you have a workspace, or another group that you are part of, where you can do something like this? It doesn’t have to be socks; deodorant, gloves, hats, or other items that we distribute work just as well.

Give your unused gift certificates. Do you have gift certificates that you haven’t used? Non-profits serving homeless children can always put them to good use, giving them to the families they serve to buy everyday necessities, or to give to their child as a birthday present. Send out a quick email to people you know seeing if they have any gift certificates they’d like to donate.

Collect hygiene items from people who travel. We hand out hundreds of lotions, soaps and shampoos on outreach every week. Because we carry these items in backpacks, travel-sized toiletries work great (although we can put full-sized items to use too). If you are part of a community of people who travel, you can get them to bring back these items from hotels. You can set up a collection bin, and we will pick it up. Link to ATC

Do a holiday gift drive. Form a group with your co-workers or friends and connect with a nonprofit serving homeless children to see how you can sponsor and be involved in their holiday gift drives.