The season of thanks is here again, and your business probably has a lot to be grateful for. But the holidays are sure to mean that you’re short on time personally and professionally. The undue pressure of wanting to give back and balancing everything during this busy time of year is avoidable. With these four tools, you (and your employees) can make charitable giving a priority year round.

1. Givable

Givable is a newer donation app on the scene. The app, which was created in our hometown (St. Louis, Missouri), “empowers individuals and businesses to fuel change by making giving easy, social, and interactive.” We participate in Givable here at Hatchbuck, and the team loves it. Because two of our company values are “Do the right thing” and “Make a difference,” Givable is a company-sponsored effort at Hatchbuck. It’s a phenomenal way for us Hatchbuckers to feel like we’re making some impact every day.

 

 

Givable sends a daily email with two new charities that they’ve carefully vetted to be recipients of that day’s gift. Each team member gets to choose one of the two charities to donate to. It’s amazing to learn more about organizations in St. Louis (and across the country) and to see the daily impact (no matter how small) that we can make for so many deserving charities.

2. Charity Miles

Tracking steps is all the rage these days. I’ve had a Garmin watch, a FitBit and have now settled on the Apple Watch, but what really comes from tracking all of these steps? At the moment, nothing other than the satisfaction of hitting my personal goals.

Photo credit: Parkinson Association of Central Florida

Enter: Charity Miles. The app allows you to use your phone’s GPS to track daily exercise. Whether walking, running or biking, Charity Miles corporate sponsors donate per mile (25 cents for walking/running, 10 cents for biking) to the charity of your choosing. They make it so easy to make a difference; who wouldn’t want to give back will getting some exercise?

3. Volunteer Match

VolunteerMatch does exactly what its name says: matches willing volunteers with deserving nonprofits. They boast the largest nonprofit network of volunteers, causes and opportunities. The site allows you to choose your city, interests and availability and presents volunteer opportunities in your area.

 

VolunteerMatch lets you know when the nonprofits need your help and what to do to sign up. It’s truly the easiest way to connect with causes that you feel strongly about in your community.

4. Good St.

Similar to Givable’s model, Good St. offers the ability to make a daily donation to the charity of your choice. You have the option to donate between 25 cents and $1 per day to charities they’ve selected and sent you to review via email. So far, Good St. has over 500 users and over 1500 charities being impacted regularly.