Here's part 2 of an absolutely great article from Kiplinger's on ways to give if you don't have cash:
Volunteer. Almost anyone can write a check, but a gift of your time is priceless. More than 80% of charitable organizations rely on volunteers to achieve their goals, according to the Urban Institute. Whether you have one day to give or you'd like to make an ongoing commitment in the new year, you can search for opportunities in your neighborhood through VolunteerMatch, Idealist or Network for Good. There's no tax break for the time you spend volunteering, but you can deduct other expenses related to your efforts such as the cost of gas, parking, tolls and long-distance phone calls.
I have three or four church projects always going on at a time. We just finished 40 Days of Purpose (where I served on the leadership team) and my pastor has just published his first book (which I helped sell to a publisher for him). I love volunteering my time -- so much so that I have to be careful or else I could be committed 3-4 nights a week. I tend to choose projects where a lot of the work can be done on a variable schedule and communication can take place by email. It makes things more flexible for someone like me who already has limited time with my family and wants to protect what I have.
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