Challenge yourself to give rather than buy

Today is Giving Tuesday. Launched by the United Nations Foundation, Giving Tuesday is largely a response to the consumer feeding frenzies of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. There are lots of ways to give besides making a donation. Buy someone a gift card from CanadaHelps.org, which they can give to the cause of their choice. Or purchase your gifts with credit and debit cards like RBC’s Virtual Visa Debit that donate a percentage of every purchase to a charity. If you can’t afford to give cash, here are six other ways to give. 1. Donate your voice for the voiceless. Many people, like famous physicist Stephen Hawking, can’t speak because of an illness or injury. With your help, a U.S. company, Vocalid, can give these individuals their own voice. Connect a microphone to your computer, log in to vocalid.co, and it will record your voice then blend it with those of other donors, creating a unique voice for a person in need. 2. Give the gift of you. If you have writing or editing skills, ask your local shelters or organizations if their homeless clients could use help writing job-winning CVs. If you’re a math or science whiz, volunteer as a tutor for low-income children in your community. Pathways to Education offers volunteer opportunities for tutors across Canada, and community libraries often have tutoring programs. 3. Go on a Mission Pawsible. If you have a dog or cat that’s well-behaved and loves people, see if a nearby seniors home, hospital, or youth group home is interested in having your pet visit to cheer up residents. Contact Therapeutic Paws of Canada. 4. If your bookshelf is cluttered with books you’ll never read again, donate them to Better World Books. The international social enterprise sells them online and donates some directly, to support literacy and education programs around the world. 5. People transitioning to a new gender face daunting challenges. For one of the thousands of homeless trans youth in Canada, there’s no money for a new wardrobe that matches their chosen gender identity. Google your local LGBT organizations and ask them if they accept clothing donations, or if there’s a clothing exchange program for trans youth in your area. 6. Be a social justice selfie warrior. Upload your best snapshots to Johnson & Johnson’s Donate a Photo campaign (donateaphoto.com) and the consumer goods giant will give a dollar per photo to the cause of your choice, from a list of charities. If you’re not totally broke and want to get your holiday shopping done early, many organizations have gift catalogues and some, like ours, will match your donation during the holiday season.