When you are on your own, you might not do a lot in supporting the causes you believe in all over the world. nevertheless, it does not mean that you cannot reach out to the people or causes you support through the nonprofit organizations. If anyone tells you that doing this is lame then you should not believe them. One charity which has scandals should not mar all of them. When you give to charity, the money is pooled together with what comes from other donors and since it will be significant, the charities can do major projects with it. Additionally, these are NGOs which have done research on what needs to be addressed immediately and hence can come up with better strategies on how the finances should be distributed. You do not have to worry about your money not being used for the cause you had donated for because at the end of the financial year these charities have to release a statement on how they spend the money. There are sites which rate NGOs, so that you can know the best ones and those performing poorly.
Charities exist in order to make the world better and this can only happen if they are getting the support of other people. When it comes to volunteer work for charities, it might be available all through the year but not every time there will be volunteer because some months are busy for the career people and the students and this is why there is the need for some permanent staff who will keep the projects going on no matter the season and this people will require payment.By donating to these charities, you will be easing their processes. Also, there is never a donation that is too small for these charities and whatever the small amount you manage to get you should not be afraid to give it.
You can get a tax relief if you show the receipt of the amount of money you send to a charity but this should not be the reason for you to donate. These charities are always organizing events for their donors and if you contribute you can be a part of it too. It is an evening of meeting people who support a cause that is similar to your heart and you can make great friends at these functions. Given that these are social events, you will get to enjoy the process with good conversation, music, art and even great beverages. You need to include this in your annual budget if you are yet to start. You will find more info. about this process here.