Many Americans sign up to deliver food to needy families and perform other acts of charity on Thanksgiving. But as one nonprofit manager points out, there are plenty of other ways — and times of year — to be useful to the less fortunate.
Karissa Gretebeck, marketing and outreach specialist for the United Way of Greater Milwaukee, said on Thursday that Thanksgiving and the holiday season are especially popular times for people to look for chances to volunteer their time for those in need.
“I think this time of year, people feel inspired and also feel very thankful and humbled for what they do have,” she said.
Gretebeck said that while many people gravitate toward activities like tutoring, in which they work directly with the people benefitting from their effort, short-staffed nonprofits have other needs that don’t always get as much attention.
“Tasks like stuffing envelopes or putting labels on things or maybe cleaning a storage closet don’t always resonate with super feel-good things that we might get with other types of projects, such as reading to kids,” she said. “But, so much of that work is so critical to that nonprofit organization.”
Lending professional skills or talents to a cash-strapped charity is one example of an alternative way to make a difference. Gretebeck said that many organizations can’t afford to hire top-notch graphic designers or skilled writers to communicate about the work they do.
“Sometimes they need people that can construct things like benches or picnic tables — or people who love planning events like fundraisers,” Gretebeck said.
If deciding how to volunteer sounds intimidating, she said, there’s no need to limit oneself to just one activity.
“Part of the beauty of being a volunteer is that you can have very rich, very different experiences so you can get exposed to your community,” she said.
Regardless, Gretebeck said it’s important for people to not limit their charity to the holiday season. Most organizations need help every day of the year.
“Needs change depending on the season,” she said. “Many organizations are flooded with so many volunteers during the holiday season, and not so many the rest of the year.”
