Giving, Reimagined

15 surprising ways to turn what you already have –your connections, expertise, experiences, rewards, resources and assets — into good.

There are plenty of tried-and-true ways to do good. Company matching programs can multiply a donation. Paid volunteer days turn work hours into community impact. Giving Tuesday inspires millions to participate. Wish lists help nonprofits get exactly what they need. And holiday collections rally offices, neighborhoods, schools and families around a shared cause.

They all matter. And they all continue to make a difference.

But innovative giving has evolved.

Today, what you have to give may be far more than what you have available to write a check. Your expertise, connections, experiences, purchasing power, rewards, resources and assets –even your ability to solve someone else’s problem—can become powerful resources for good.

Here are 15 ways to think differently about what you have to give.

BEFORE YOU GIVE, ASK

There’s one way to make almost any kind of giving more meaningful: listen first.

Before organizing the collection, buying the supplies or deciding what an organization needs, ask:

What would be most useful to your organization right now?

The answer may be funding. But it might also be expertise, an introduction, volunteers, equipment, greater awareness—or a solution you never would have thought to offer.

Because innovative giving isn’t necessarily about giving more. It may simply be about discovering more of what you already have to give.

1. GIVE YOUR CONNECTIONS

Make an introduction a nonprofit might not otherwise be able to make—to a potential corporate partner, donor, volunteer, board member, vendor or community resource.

Your network has value. Sometimes opening the right door can be as valuable as opening your wallet.

2. GIVE THE PROBLEM SOLVER

Instead of asking a nonprofit, “What can I donate?” try asking:

What problem could someone in my network help you solve?

Maybe it needs technology expertise. Legal guidance. A venue. Transportation. Printing. Photography. Strategic counsel. Equipment. Specialized knowledge.

You don’t necessarily have to be the person who can solve the problem. You may simply know the person who can.

3. GIVE AN HOUR OF WHAT YOU KNOW

Instead of simply volunteering your time, volunteer your expertise.

A marketer might review a nonprofit’s messaging. An attorney could advise on an issue. A photographer could provide new images. An HR professional could help with recruitment. A technology expert might solve a nagging digital problem.

One hour of the right expertise could solve a problem an organization has wrestled with for months.

4. GIVE A SKILL FOR THE FUTURE

Take skills-based giving one step further by teaching something another person can continue to use.

Help someone prepare a résumé, practice interviewing, understand personal finances, learn technology, develop cooking skills, explore entrepreneurship or navigate a career.

Give knowledge someone gets to keep.

5. START A GIVING CIRCLE

Bring friends, neighbors or colleagues together, ask everyone to contribute an amount they choose, pool the funds and collectively select a local organization or community need to support.

It doesn’t have to be formal—or involve large contributions. Individual generosity can become collective impact.

6. GIVE YOUR PURCHASING POWER

You may be able to provide something valuable without actually purchasing it yourself.

Use your business relationships or buying power to help a nonprofit secure printing, food, furnishings, technology, professional services, transportation, supplies or other necessities at cost, at a discount or as an in-kind donation.

You may not have what they need—but you may know who does.

7. GIVE YOUR SPACE

Have a conference room that sits empty after hours? A restaurant with an available private room? Extra office, meeting, event or storage space?

Offering space to a nonprofit can eliminate an expense while giving the organization something immediately useful.

Sometimes square footage can be philanthropy.

8. GIVE YOUR VOICE

You don’t need to be an influencer to have influence.

Introduce a nonprofit through your company newsletter, social media, neighborhood association, professional organization, employee communications or personal network. Invite its leader to speak. Share its mission with an audience it might never reach otherwise.

Visibility has value, too.

9. GIVE AN EXPERIENCE

Think beyond money and things.

Donate or underwrite a ticket, membership, class, cultural experience, sporting event or other opportunity for someone who otherwise couldn’t participate.

Sometimes what you’re giving isn’t an object. It’s access to an experience, an opportunity or even a memory.

10. TURN “FOUND MONEY” INTO GOOD

Cash-back rewards. Rebates. Refunds. Unexpected credits. Unused gift cards.

Instead of letting those relatively small amounts disappear into everyday spending, designate them for your own personal Good Fund.

A little money you didn’t expect can become good you intentionally create.

11. PUT UNUSED POINTS TO WORK

Those airline miles, hotel points and other loyalty rewards sitting in your accounts may have another purpose.

Some programs allow rewards to be donated to charitable organizations or used in ways that support charitable needs. Before another year passes with unused points accumulating, explore whether yours could be put to work for good.

12. GIVE A SUBSCRIPTION

Instead of making another general donation, ask whether there’s a recurring expense you can take off a nonprofit’s plate.

It might be software, internet access, an educational resource, professional membership, transportation or regularly needed supplies.

Turn one of their monthly bills into your monthly gift.

13. GIVE WHAT YOU OWN, NOT JUST WHAT YOU EARN

Your charitable resources don’t necessarily begin and end with your bank account.

Appreciated stock is one example, but depending on individual circumstances, other non-cash assets may also have charitable potential.

Your most valuable charitable asset may be something you’ve never considered giving.

14. CREATE YOUR OWN CHARITABLE ACCOUNT

A donor-advised fund offers another way to approach philanthropy: contribute to a charitable account and then recommend grants to qualified nonprofits over time.

Rather than deciding on every charitable gift individually, you can establish resources specifically designated for giving — and determine over time where you want them to make a difference.

15. GIVE SOMETHING THAT KEEPS GIVING

Consider whether part of your philanthropy could continue well beyond a single donation.

Endowments, legacy gifts and other planned-giving approaches can provide longer-term resources for causes and organizations that matter to you.

Some gifts make a difference today. Others can keep making a difference tomorrow.

CREATE A RIPPLE OF GOOD

However you choose to give, don’t let the good stop with you.

Share what you did. Invite someone else to contribute what they have to offer—an introduction, an hour, expertise, an experience, an idea, a resource or financial support. Then encourage them to invite someone else.

One act of giving can be the beginning rather than the end.