From Flickr user AForestFrolic (Creative Commons)

No matter how you look at it, the next couple of weeks are sure to be full of a special seasonal energy. For some, that energy can verge on manic, which kind of takes the fun out of it.

For example, gift buying can get expensive. PNC Wealth Management calculates the 2011 cost of the gifts listed in the familiar “12 Days of Christmas” song at $24,263 – or over $100,000 if you decided to give a partridge in a pear tree twelve times, two turtle doves eleven times, and so forth ’til your true love’s tree would be surrounded by a jumble of 364 amazing gifts.

Here are twelve things you might do to brighten the season for yourself and others that don’t involve so many visits to the ATM.

Give time:

• Look close to home and find a holiday project where you can pitch in as a volunteer via the search tools at the top of Idealist.org. Just using the word “holiday” in the box marked “What?” and “Seattle” in the box marked “Where?” turned up 11 different and interesting things to do in my hometown.

• …And resolve to volunteer in 2012. Sure, a soup kitchen is an obvious choice at Thanksgiving and sorting toys is popular come Christmas. But can you commit to things after the holiday rush, fight the winter doldrums and get to know your community better? Set up Idealist Email Alerts to stay informed about volunteer opportunities.

Give attention:

• Reminisce with family, friends, or neighbors. Look at snapshots from holidays past, talk about the times when things went right (or wrong – hopefully with only comic consequence), and record stories of holidays past. Storycorps has DIY tips.

• Say ‘thanks’ to someone who works in community service. Look online for the name of the board chair or ED of an organization you admire and write a brief note of appreciation for what the organization contributes to the community.

• Surprise a neighbor with a homemade treat or hand-picked seasonal bouquet. Best of all, do it anonymously, so there’s a bit of happy mystery about how it happened.

• Experience your holiday in a new way. Attend a community group’s concert, dance performance, or play that you’ve never been to before. Even better: Take a kid or two along with you!

Give your voice:

• Read aloud from a favorite holiday story-book. For those who celebrate Christmas, Google Books has an 1849 edition of A Visit from St. Nicholas (or “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”) with fabulous illustrations online for free.

• Sing! In the shower, with a group caroling in the neighborhood, in your place of worship…

If you can, give money.

• Give cash. Times are tough for many of us, but for those who can spare even a few dollars, see my 2010 post full of tips for year-end donations.

• Find a “Giving Tree” (or other community gift exchange for kids) and add your contribution to someone’s holiday cheer. The Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots is active in many communities.

• Look abroad to places that need our help even once they’re out of the spotlight. Japan is still recovering from the earthquake, tsunami, and related damage to nuclear power plants and tens of thousands of houses. Haiti still struggles with the effects of the terrible earthquake there two years ago. Google Disaster Relief offers links to reliable ways to help out in many parts of the world, as do familiar newspapers and magazines; try a quick online search.

And, since I doubt your shopping list will disappear entirely…

• Give experiences or contributions instead of objects. For theater-goers, a gift certificate for a pair of tickets. For mountain bikers, a membership in the local single-trackers club. Whatever your friends and family love to do, nudge them in that direction and you’ll get the vicarious pleasure of imagining them doing what they like best with your help. Alternatively, spread the warm glow by supporting a favorite organization in someone’s name.

Warm wishes from all of us at Idealist.org!

It’s that time of year! While many of us have been gathering treats for the goblins and ghouls who will appear at our doors tonight, fundraising and communications professionals at nonprofits across the country have been anxiously preparing their year-end fundraising appeals.

Why “anxiously”? Because the year-end appeal often makes the difference between a strong program next year and a struggle to achieve the mission. And because the sorry state and uncertain future of the economy is having an effect on public support for the work of nonprofits.

Freaky: the fact that every store is about to begin blaring holiday tunes. Not freaky: deciding which organizations to support with any year-end donations you make! (Photo: Micah Sittig, Flickr/Creative Commons)

Year-end giving is a tradition that brings satisfaction to many families year after year. But sometimes the number of requests can be overwhelming. If you receive envelopes or emails day after day, you might wonder, “Is this much fundraising really necessary?” or “How could this possibly be efficient?”

It is necessary. Donations are an important way for organizations to get the money they need for all the things that contribute to valuable programs – from the vegetables at the soup kitchen to research on the root causes of problems.

But it’s true that fundraising could be a lot more efficient. And often, attentive donors can help on that front. If you’re planning to donate this year, here are some tips to help make sure your year-end contributions do the most good.

• Have a plan. Decide in advance how much you can afford to give this year and what causes or groups you want to help.
  
• Take the initiative. If you already know the groups you want to support, make your gifts without waiting to be asked. You can send along a request that the groups you support not solicit you further; that’s a good idea at any time of year. But if you do get a year-end appeal anyway you can recycle it with a clear conscience…or pass it along to a friend who might share your interest.
• Be clear. If you get a year-end appeal from an organization that’s not in your plan, let them know and ask that they not send you fundraising appeals. When you do send a gift, suggest that the recipient limit any future appeals to you. Helping an organization avoid the costs of making a pointless request is a small but real contribution to their work.
• Consider volunteering. Many organizations offer special, expanded services at this time of year. Joining such a project adds a new dimension to the celebrations of the season.
• And this year, if you can, maybe stretch a little. Nonprofits in every community are helping people cope with the effects of the bad economy. If you’re doing ok, do a little bit more so they can do their jobs better.

Let us know if you have tips to add – either from the nonprofit fundraising perspective, or the individual donor point of view (maybe both!). And happy Halloween!

By Julia Smith and Diana Hsu.

The National September 11 Memorial and Museum is just one venue seeking volunteers. Photo via magnify.net (Flickr/Creative Commons)

Earlier today, we tweeted, “Wondering: How are you spending September 11th?” Replies ranged from interning at a hospital (@dva136) to supporting a fundraiser in Portland (@GeezerGallery) to attending a film festival in NYC (@thepete).

What about you? Maybe you’re opting for quiet reflection this year. Maybe, like Baratunde Thurston, you’ll celebrate a birthday. Maybe you’re leaning toward volunteering in your community.

If that last idea has been on your mind, here’s one thing to consider: This year, to mark the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks, MyGoodDeed and HandsOn Network are organizing the largest day of service in United States history.

Below are just a few of the events and volunteer opportunities listed on Idealist for this weekend. For more ideas, visit 911dayofservice.org, the official website of the September 11th Day of Service and Remembrance.

Events

• Sept. 9-Sept. 11, New York, NY: Director Sheryl Oring and an organization called I Wish to Say will lead a public performance piece called Collective Memory
• Sept. 10, Tempe, AZ: United Blood Services/Arizona will host a Blood Drive – 9/11 Memorial @ Tempe Healing Field
• Sept. 10, Mound Bayou, MS: Lindsay Vaughan will coordinate healthy packages for troops in Iraq as part of her 9/11 Service Project – Healthy Food for Our Troops Raffle
• Sept. 11, Fort Collins, CO: United Way of Larimer County will host a 9/11 Day of Service & Remembrance Event
• Sept. 11, Garrison, NY: The Garrison Institute will screen a film and hold a discussion at Rebirth and Resilience: A 9/11 Observance

Volunteer opportunities

• Sept. 10, Washington, DC: City Gate will host “a day of service and fellowship” – see Volunteers needed to commemorate 9/11 on 9/10
• Sept. 11, Charleston, WV: An individual named Heather is gathering neighbors for Appreciating Our First Responders -Service Project Volunteer Opportunity
• Through October 1, Bay Area, CA: In San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Berkeley, and other communities, you can join HandsOn Bay Areas – from Remembrance to Change – a Season of Service
• Date TBD, South Sioux City, NE: The City of South Sioux City needs help planting trees for a 9/11 Day of Service and Honoring a Fallen Soldier
• Ongoing/long-term, New York, NY: The National September 11 Memorial & Museum seeks 9/11 Memorial Volunteers – On a Mission of Honor & Hope

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For more ways to get involved this weekend and beyond, search Idealist.org. And please let us know how you’re planning to spend the weekend.

Volunteers work to reinforce sandbag levees in North Dakota. (Photo by US Army Corps of Engineers, Flickr/Creative Commons)

Did you know there are more than 13,000 volunteer opportunities listed on Idealist.org right now? Whether you can spare a few hours or an entire year,  we have an opportunity for you.

If this is your first time volunteering (or you just need a refresher), here are some highlights from our Volunteer Resource Center:

Who can volunteer? Just about everyone. Check out our resource center for more specific information on volunteering for youth, students, families, retired folks, those of you currently in the workforce, and those of you with special needs.

What can I do as a volunteer? Again, just about anything. While you can certainly go to a shelter once a week to dish up food, volunteering can take many other shapes. Broad categories covered in our resource center include serving on a board, participating in direct service or disaster relief, creating your own project, volunteering online, offering your skills pro bono, and volunteering in a different community or even a different country.

How do I start?

• With so many options available to you, you’ll first need to identify your interests and your goals, and the time commitment that you’re willing and able to make.
• Search Idealist to find potential partner organizations that you’d like to work with. Do some preliminary research to make sure they are a good fit. Some example questions are below; click here for a more complete list. If you’re considering an international opportunity, make sure you check out our International Volunteerism Resource Center as well.
  • What is the organization’s mission?
  • What would your responsibilities as a volunteer be?
  • Is there a time commitment for volunteers?
  • Make sure to ask questions specific to your situation: building accessibility, physical ability required for the position, transportation options, accommodations for a restricted diet or certain religious/cultural practices, etc.
• Make a decision and follow through with your commitment!

If you need some convincing to get started, take a look at some benefits (to you!) of volunteering, and the importance of volunteerism to your community, and yes, to the economy (…to the tune of $162 billion U.S.).

Find a volunteer opportunity that suits your interests and needs here.

Shirley Sagawa, left, spoke with Amy Potthast, right.

Want to hear insight from the “founding mother of the modern service movement”? You’re in luck: our newest podcast is up now!

For National Volunteer Week, Amy Potthast interviewed Shirley Sagawa, author of The American Way to Change: How National Service and Volunteers and Transforming America. During the first Clinton administration, Shirley drafted the legislation that created AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National Service.

In his 1995 book, How a Bill Becomes a Law, Steve Waldman compared national service—full-time stipended volunteering like AmeriCorps and VISTA—to a Swiss Army Knife, “performing numerous useful functions in one affordable package.” In today’s show, Shirley revisits the Swiss Army Knife analogy with some timely new insights that she also shares in her book.

Click here to learn more and listen to the podcast.

Kudos to our host, Amy Potthast, and to our intern Tim Johnson for his help with podcast production!

A school made of plastic bottles in Guatemala. Blind woodworkers in Boston who are defying odds. A firsthand look at the recent protests in Egypt’s Tahrir Square. Intrigued? Check out our Making Good Ideas Travel channel on Vimeo to learn about all this and more.

Right now on Idealist.org there are 500+ video- and film-related volunteer opportunities. Photo by Marcin Wichary (Flickr/Creative Commons).

Since it’s National Volunteer Week, I’d thought I’d highlight some volunteering-related gems:

The Lowestoft Christmas swim
‘Tis not the season, but I found this video so charming I had to share. It highlights 250 bold Brits running into the ocean on Christmas day to raise money for a handful of charities. It’s full of great music, superhero costumes, and interesting twists on the Santa getup. Maybe it will spark some ideas for other holidays.

Flying Colours
Akhona is a young student and mother who wants to go to college. Siyabuelela is studying business at the university and volunteers his Saturdays to tutor youth like Akhona. Their two stories are linked by IkamvaYouth, a South African nonprofit that helps learners lift themselves out of poverty. The film gives an intimate glimpse into their lives and highlights the good work the org is doing – and will make you want to go to South Africa right now.

Picking up America
This short documentary follows a group of twentysomethings walking across the United States and picking up roadside trash. A movie featuring garbage across the country’s most ignored areas may not sound all that appealing, but the youthful, idealistic energy of the volunteers is inspiring.

National Volunteering Week ends tomorrow! Have you picked up a camera to film any festivities?

Inching its way toward 1,000 subscribers, the Making Good Ideas Travel channel has 153 videos and counting. We welcome submissions not only about volunteering, but all things social change: nonprofits, community involvement, and good ideas. So if you have a short video that’s reeling to be shared with the world, message us or post a link to our Shoutbox and we’ll be sure to take a look.

Just a few articles that caught our attention recently:

Crowdsourcing a Better World and On the Web, a Revolution in Giving (New York Times Opinionator blog):

In the first piece, Tina Rosenberg explores “what crowdsourcing can do to help civilians contribute to social change in a way that is both useful and emotionally satisfying.” In the latter, she breaks down the strengths and drawbacks of crowdfunding sites like DonorsChoose and Kickstarter.

Next Stop, Volunteering! The Do Good Bus Makes Community Service Easy and Fun (GOOD):

From the article:

For her birthday, [co-founder Rebecca] Pontius organized a party bus and noticed the camaraderie created amongst her friends just by traveling to a new location together. Teaming up with two of her friends, Hannah Halliwell and Stephen Snedden, the trio decided to combine the fun of a party bus with a service trip as a way to make volunteering easy and accessible.

Why Sting Operations Cheapen Public Policy Discourse (Nonprofit Quarterly):

NPR. ACORN. Planned Parenthood. Sting operations, writes Rick Cohen, “have reduced public discourse to the level of ‘Candid Camera.’” Cohen argues that in this era it is important for nonprofits to stay transparent; stand firm in their beliefs; keep egos in check; and correct misguided staff, improve management, and train employees carefully.

Serious stuff. Image via makelessnoise (Flickr/Creative Commons).

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Send us a headline for our never-ever-exhaustive news roundup! If you read something that moved you to action or gave you hope, leave a comment below or tweet it to us @idealist.

Want to help make Idealist better? We’d love for you to participate in our usability testing program!

What’s this all about?

There are lots of ways that we collect feedback from our users. One important one is to observe Idealist members “in the wild,” so to speak. Instead of asking your (undoubtedly valuable) opinion, we want to actually watch you use the site, and see what aspects of the site could be improved.

Sign up to participate here. We’ll be conducting in-person usability tests for those in the NYC area, and remote tests for people everywhere else (as long as you have access to a broadband internet connection and a telephone or computer microphone).

Photo via Alishba Zarmeen

What to expect

Whether you participate remotely or come visit us, you’ll sit down one-on-one with me (Hi! Nice to meet you.), so I can observe while you use basic features of the website and ask a few questions about your experience. Usability testing is the kind of test where you can’t get a wrong answer, so there’s no pressure on you, just the website.  The most challenging part for you? Probably remembering to think aloud as you use the site.

Who we’re looking for

Everyone! Seriously, whether you have very little experience using the web or are as tech savvy as they come, you’re welcome to participate. Also, we’ll be testing features for individuals and organizations, so we’re looking for people who use the site in different ways: you could be a job seeker, a potential volunteer, an HR professional, volunteer manager, or your organization’s social media expert, or really anyone else.

What’s next?

• We conduct usability testing on an ongoing basis, so if you’re interested, sign up! We’ll ask you a few questions to get a sense of how you use the site, and then I’ll be in touch when it seems like you’re a good fit for an upcoming usability test.
• Can’t participate in usability testing? You can still make your voice heard publicly on Get Satisfaction or by sending an email directly to our Community Support Team through the contact page.

Thank you!

Last week, our own Celeste Hamilton Dennis was interviewed for a feature on GO! Overseas, “a community driven website of like minded people who are all passionate about teaching, studying and volunteering abroad.” Here’s the interview, cross-posted as it appeared there.

From Flickr user Ho John Lee

GO!: Let’s start with a brief introduction. Who are you, where are you, and what are you doing?

Celeste: I’m a Community Outreach Coordinator for Idealist.org, a nonprofit that in its most simplest definition, helps people help. I work on building a global network of idealists, spreading good ideas and storytelling projects involving blogging and podcasting. After living in Argentina for 2 ½ years, I just recently moved to Portland, OR.

GO!: How did you get involved in the volunteer industry?

Celeste: I went to Boston College, where international service is huge. If you didn’t volunteer abroad somewhere, you were kind of considered a weirdo. A lot of people from BC went on to do the Peace Corps, and from hearing their stories, I knew it was something I wanted to do. So from 2003-2005 I served in Guyana as a reading teacher and HIV/AIDS educator. After living in an impoverished community and seeing its effects firsthand, it was hard to ignore suffering both back home and in other places around the world.

I’ve volunteered at numerous organizations since the Peace Corps, from the Youth Pride Center in Chicago where I worked as an Anti-Violence advocate for minority gay youth, to being a Band Manager at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for girls in Portland this summer. I’ve found most, if not all, of my opportunities through this wonderful website called Idealist.org.

GO!: Tell us about La Vida Idealist and your role within the organization.

Celeste: I’m the editor of La Vida Idealist, a community powered blog written by idealistic expats and travelers in Latin America. The overall goal of the blog is to share stories and resources about volunteering, nonprofits, and innovative ideas in the region. Specifically, we’re trying to fill in the gap of information for free opportunities, as much of the volunteering landscape in Latin America is dominated by the voluntourism industry. Some people just can’t afford to pay, or won’t pay out of of principle. And what’s unfortunate is that there are a lot of people living down there who have free time on their hands and want to get involved. By including varied voices and perspectives from bloggers who are on the ground, engaging with their adopted communities, we hope to make access to non-fee volunteering easier.

GO!: What attracts volunteers to Latin America?

Celeste: Latin America is in an interesting period of history. For the first time, nearly all its leaders have traded dictatorships for democracy, and they look like the people they govern. It’s a fertile breeding ground for change right now.

But while that may be fascinating for a nonprofit nerd such as myself, I think the real attraction of Latin America is the diversity of culture. The food, music, history, language, humor, and more across the region is just so rich, so interesting. Within Argentina, for example, there is so much to explore. Fast-paced, tango-infused Buenos Aires is worlds apart from its neighbor up north, Jujuy, where folk dancing and gauchos abound. And beyond Argentina, there’s Bolivia, where indigenous culture permeates every aspect of society. And so on, and so on. From the Panama Canal to the Amazon to Machu Picchu and everything in-between, Latin America is alluring for all these reasons and more.

And on a practical level, one dollar or euro can go a long way. Travelers and expats can then live reasonably, off very little, and immerse themselves in these amazing cultures with the added benefit of learning Spanish. Spanish is such an asset in the world we live in right now – especially in the U.S., where almost half the population is now Hispanic – and allows you to make much more deeper and meaningful connections with the people around you. I love that I can now walk into a bodega in NYC, for example, and converse with the guy behind the counter in his native tongue.

GO!: How can volunteers stay centered with realistic goals?

Celeste: Ask yourself from the outset: What does “doing good” even mean to me? To the community I’m a part of? Think about what you want to accomplish during your time there. Assess your needs, and those of your community, and be realistic with your expectations. Change is slow; you’re not going cause radical shifts in infrastructure in a short amount of time.

Working together with your host community is also crucial. Outline mutual goals. Make sure to have continual, open dialogue to see if you’re accomplishing them together. If you’re not, don’t be shy to admit mistakes or failures. Being realistic includes the ability to reassess what you’re doing and change direction, or move on if it’s not working out.

Idealist has a great International Volunteerism Resource Center that can help you address this question and more.

GO!: What is the continuing benefit of volunteering abroad after a volunteer returns home?

Celeste: I find that once people experience service in another country, their sense of the interconnectedness of the world around them is heightened, and the rush they feel from opening their mind to different ways of being fades but never really goes away. They’re always looking to recreate it.

But perhaps the most valuable thing about continuing to volunteer abroad is this idea that because you’re (hopefully) going into the experience with your eyes, ears and heart open, you notice more. You see needs, and you see solutions. I’m fascinated by this idea that there is an abundance of local solutions to local problems – like the traveling donkey library in Ethiopia that’s boosting literacy rates, for example – that could work in other similar contexts. But the mechanisms for spreading this information to where it’s needed are limited. Volunteers can play a pivotal role in helping to push and pull these solutions around the world.

GO!: How do you respond to criticism that volunteering abroad does more harm than good?

Celeste: Sometimes the criticisms are founded. Volunteers go into the experience for purely selfish reasons, or the infrastructure for sustainability is flawed, or organizations are only in it for the money and don’t actually need volunteers. There are actually a lot of ways volunteering abroad can go wrong.

Short-term volunteering usually has a greater impact on the individual rather than the community – unless there is a coordinated system in place where the next volunteer coming in can pick up where the other one left off. Or volunteers complete tasks that are small and concrete, or bring needed supplies.

I’m much more inclined toward longer term volunteering whenever possible. The longer you’re in a place, the more you get to know the community and its needs. And the more you can navigate cultural differences, the more likely you are to impact somebody’s life, no matter how small that may be.

GO!: What does the future hold for you?

Celeste: My immediate future consists of my honeymoon in India, where I hope to become an extra in a Bollywood video. My dreams for the longer-term future include living in Africa for a few years, getting a collection of my short stories published, and really helping to poise Idealist as a central place for pushing and pulling sustainable, effective solutions around the world.

GO!: Famous last words?

Celeste: Salami.

Thanks!

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You can read Celeste’s blog posts here. Thanks again to the folks at GO! Overseas for letting us cross-post this piece!

By Flickr User Noel Zia Lee (Creative Commons)

If you’re like me, and you live too far from home to celebrate Thanksgiving with family this year, how about volunteering some time to make turkey (Tofurkey!) day a little more special for those in need?  I’ve gathered up some Thanksgiving Day related volunteer opportunities to help spread the cheer.  For those of you not partaking in Thanksgiving festivities, I’ve also gathered some fall-related opportunities follow below.  Happy holidays, everyone!

Volunteer Opportunity: Thanksgiving Day – Meal Delivery (Washington, DC)
Organization: Emmaus Services for the Aging
In their own words: “Emmaus Services for the Aging meets the needs of homebound senior citizens on Thanksgiving Day by delivering meals to them and spending time visiting during the morning.”