8 ways to be charitable when times are tough.

Supporting your favourite charity doesn’t always have to mean handing over hard-earned cash. From donating blood, to using ME’s charity debit cards, which donate to good causes on your behalf, it’s possible to do good even on a tight budget.

There are plenty of rewards for those who give too, with happiness experts saying that giving not only contributes to a warm and fuzzy ‘helper’s high’, but can even lead to health benefits like reduced stress. 

With that in mind, here are eight ways to make a difference if you don’t have the dollars to spare.  

It’s a part of our bodies we don’t often think about. But to those in need, it’s a literal lifesaver. In fact, every blood donation can help save three lives and one-third of blood donations help people with cancer. It only takes around 15 minutes of your time, and you’ll enjoy complimentary drinks and snacks after you’ve donated.

2. Help a neighbour.

They do it in Ramsay Street and you can do it in your street, too. Helping your neighbours is a wonderful way to make a difference at a local level. If you have elderly neighbours, you could offer to help them in the garden, walk their dog, or help them with their weekly grocery shop – anything that makes their lives a little easier.

3. Donate your hair.

Fancy a new haircut? You can shave your head and help “shave the world from blood cancer”. If you're not quite ready to go all the way, you can also colour your hair. Simply ask people to sponsor you to take part in the World’s Greatest Shave.

You can also donate your chopped locks to special organisations that transform hair into wigs for cancer patients who’ve lost their hair through treatment.

4. Share your pet.

You know how much joy your pooch brings you, so just imagine the happiness they could bring to the dog-deprived! Many nursing homes would love you to bring your furry friend in to visit their residents for a little pet therapy. Find out more about therapy training with pets so your dog can help.

5. Donate your old clothes.

Look in your wardrobe and ask yourself honestly - how much of it do you actually wear? It might be time for a Marie Kondo style clean out.

Donating your pre-loved duds to charity is a great way to recycle and stop clothes ending up in landfill. You can donate at dedicated clothing donation bins, drop off to an op shop or deliver to a local organisation. However, not all clothing is suitable to donate – any items deemed unwearable (i.e. damaged or severely stained) should either be demoted to your ‘undertaking dirty tasks’ wardrobe, ripped up as cleaning rags, or binned.

6. Donate old furniture.

Just upgraded your bedroom or invested in a fancy new lounge suite? If your old furniture is still in good nick, don’t just put it on the nature strip and hope someone will take it - donate it to a charity supporting low-income households, refugees or people seeking asylum. A quick Google search will direct you to charities in your area.

7. Volunteer your time.

Whether it’s once a week, once a month, or just whenever you can, donating your time is a precious (and free) gift. Organisations like OzHarvest, Orange Sky, and Edgar’s Mission (a not-for-profit sanctuary for rescued farmed animals) rely on the kindness of volunteers to help them make a difference. 

8. Pay it forward.

With ME’s SpendME charity debit cards, even your most basic purchases become good ones, because with every tap of your digital wallet, ME donates 1 cent on your behalf to the charity connected with your card. You even get to choose which of the five worthy causes you wish to support through your everyday spending. 

Spread the word to all your fellow do-gooders because the more people tapping, the more good we can do – in fact, we’ve already donated over $2 million to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. 

Do some good with SpendME.

Open a SpendME transaction account in minutes in the ME Go app and start doing good right away. 

Find out more