“Peace on earth will come to stay, when we live Christmas every day.” This quote by Helen Steiner Rice expresses the link between charity and peace – the more charitable and giving society is, the more peaceful it will be.
And of course, Christmas is the time for giving.
As a giver, other than having a fulfilling feeling of giving back and contributing to the less fortunate, there can be long-lasting physical and psychological health benefits to it. As a receiver, help can come in many different forms and ways – financially and non-financially. The act of philanthropy benefits the giver and the receiver.
Every one of us, in our special ways, can impact the community we live in and build a better world for tomorrow. Here are 8 ways you can give back to society this Christmas season.
Giving Back Financially
If your schedule is always tight and you can’t find time to volunteer your time at places like your local non-profit organisations, schools, homeless shelters or animal shelters, consider providing financial help. Also, sometimes it’s easier to give cash donations to charity organisations and fundraisers instead of in-kind gifts.
#1 Cash Donations To Non-Profit Organisations, Fundraisers and Charity Events
As practical as Singaporeans can be, giving cash is always ideal in any situation, be it weddings, birthdays, baby showers, etc. Likewise, giving cash donations to the poor and needy will help tide them through difficult times.
Cash donations to a registered tax-deductible charity will also allow the donor to claim tax relief of 250% of the amount donated. In this case, even while giving, you are also receiving.
Besides donating to government recognised charity organisations, you can also donate through fundraisers and charity events held by schools, organisations, and even places of worship. Of course, not all registered charities are approved Institution of a Public Character (IPC). Donations made to a charity without approved IPC status are not tax-deductible. If you’re looking for donations that are tax deductible, make sure the donation receipts issued by approved IPCs indicate the words “Tax-Deductible”.
To continue encouraging Singaporeans to give back to the community and to provide strong support for the charity sector, the Minister for Finance has announced in Budget 2021 that the 250% tax deduction for qualifying donations will be extended for another two years till 31 December 2023.
Read Also: 6 Ways You Can (Legally) Reduce Your Income Tax For YA 2021
Donating Non-financial Gifts
Giving back to the community can also mean simple gestures and actions. It does not have to be an extravagant act. Simple gestures such as helping to carry heavy groceries for your elderly neighbour can have a butterfly impact and compound into a series of positivity within the community.
#2 Donate Your Time By Volunteering
If money is tight, volunteering your time is equally as effective. As Time is money, volunteering at local non-profit organisations, schools, homeless shelters, animal shelters, etc, is a good way to give back to society. From experience, these shelters and non-profit organisations often lack finance and manpower, and greatly appreciate volunteers to help out a few hours each week to take extra tasks off their hands.
#3 Donate Your Assets
In-kind gifts such as computers, furniture, office equipment, clothes and food will move seamlessly from you to local organisations and into the hands of those in need. Whether you have no use for the item or know that instead of throwing it away, others could still possibly find a use for it, donating your abundance to the less fortunate makes an immediate difference in their lives.
Depending on your donation and the receiving organization, some charities and non-profit organisations may be able to write you a donation receipt for donated items that can be used for tax deduction. Regardless of whether they are tax deductible, donating your unwanted but still usable items, clothes and furniture is a way of saving the environment by giving your preloved belongings a second chance.
#4 Donate Blood
If you are living the minimalist lifestyle and don’t have many assets to give away, you can consider donating your blood. The Health Science Authority is constantly encouraging people to step forward to donate blood. Some blood types are rarer and are in higher need that the other blood types. However, not everyone’s health condition is eligible for blood donation. So, check in to see if you can donate blood before making an appointment.
#5 Donate Your SingapoRediscover Vouchers
You can donate your SingaporeRediscovers Vouchers (SRV) to a worthy cause if you’re unable to utilize the vouchers. You can donate the remaining vouchers to various campaigns and partners before it expires on 31 December 2021. Donations to GlobalTix will go towards Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore, Ray of Hope Singapore Children’ Society and Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities. While Klook is partnering with ItsRainingRaincoats to allow migrant workers to enjoy the sights of the Singapore Flyer.
Giving Back To Mother Nature
#6 Plant A Tree
Singapore has a Plant-A-Tree Programme for organisations and individuals to participate in the greening of our City in Nature by planting trees. Every tree planted will also contribute to the OneMillionTrees Movement to plant one million trees across Singapore over the next 10 years
#7 Recycle Your Plastics And Electronics
According to National Environment Agency (NEA), Singapore’s domestic recycling rate has been at a constant low despite proactive attempts to inculcate good recycling habits. While there isn’t a recycling centre to visit to help sort recyclables, the National Recycling Programme ensures each HDB block has 1 Blue bin dedicated to recycling. Play your play and recycle only these materials in the blue bin: metal, paper, glass and plastics. You shouldn’t be placing textiles such as clothes, shoes and bedsheets in these blue bins.
For electronic wastes such as batteries, mobile phones, appliances like vacuums, microwave, etc., they should be disposed of through e-waste programmes. To learn more about recycling, you can join the Let’s Recycle Together campaign or bring your recyclables to Tzu Chi Environmental Sustainability Day where they sort and recycling items at void decks of HDB blocks.
Read Also: Why Giving To Charities May Actually Impact Us As Much As The Charities We Give To
So, whether you donate money, donate in-kind gifts, or volunteer your time to charity this holiday season, make your giving to the less fortunate more than a year-end routine.
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