One of the most important activities leading to Bold Living involves giving back to others. Through a variety of different acts of charity, we can make a tremendous impact on the lives of others. At the same time, we also enjoy the benefits of feeling helpful, kind, and empowered. But often, we simply become too busy with life’s tasks to be as charitable as we would like. Our own demands related to job and family can make it challenging to meet these goals. Fortunately, there are easy ways to donate to charities today that didn’t exist previously. In fact, there are a variety of charity apps that not only make it simply but actually fun!
Today, we are increasingly leveraging new technologies to help us accomplish more and more. Yet, despite these advances, many individuals continue to struggle. Some suffer from health conditions while others face challenges related to homelessness. Others are simply economically disadvantaged or down on their luck. In each case, we have the power to make a difference in their lives with just a little bit of effort. Charity apps, by offering easy ways to donate, provide the perfect opportunity for us to achieve these goals. With that in mind, the following are 8 charity apps you might consider in your efforts to give back to others.
- Charity Miles – This is one of the more popular charity apps, especially among those who enjoy exercising. By turning on the app when biking, walking or running, it tracks your mileage. And for every mile you travel, corporate sponsors donate to the charity of your choice. Not only is this one of the easy ways to donate, but it’s a great way to stay motivated and physically fit. Plus, sponsors also offer discounts and free items as part of the app’s package. (Read more about tips to stay motivated when motivation eludes you in this Project Bold Life story.)
- Lazy Jar – This is another one of the charity apps linked to exercise, but it’s a bit different in its approach. With Lazy Jar, you set exercise goals you plan to achieve, and then you link a dollar amount to these goals. If you achieve your objective, then you enjoy the satisfaction of being healthier. But if not, the money you linked to that goal goes toward charity. The activities are tracked through FitBit, and a $30 deposit is required to make sure you’re committed.
- Give Tide – While several charity apps donate the extra change on a purchase to worthy causes, Give Tide is different. Many of the other apps charge higher processing fees, but Give Tide only charges 9 percent. That means over 90 percent of the change donated goes to charity. All it requires is linking your credit or debit card to the app and you’ll be helping your favorite charity in no time.
- ShareTheMeal – There’s several easy ways to donate to charities, but ShareTheMeal is perhaps the easiest. Every time you hit the yellow button on the app, you donate 50 cents to combat child hunger. Why 50 cents? Because that is the cost to provide a single child a meal. This app is managed by the World Food Programme, and 90 percent goes to providing meals. Likewise, the app has a camera feature that encourages social media sharing as well.
- WeShelter – A number of the charity apps have a tap-to-donate feature. WeShelter is another such app that triggers donations by corporate sponsors when tapped. In essence, whenever you see someone struggling with homelessness, you push the button. Ninety percent of the money donated goes to help New York City service organizations. Despite seeing an ad every time you trigger a donation, it’s still one of the easy ways to donate.
- Benefit – When you think of this charity app, think gift cards. When making an in-person or online retail purchase with a listed retailer, Benefit creates a gift card for the precise purchase amount. Retail companies that donate give between 2 and 20 percent of the purchase price to schools and non-profits. It does require linking your credit card or checking account to the app. But the app has over 200 retailers on its platform, and you can earn up to $1000 a year in retailer donations.
- Donate a Photo – If you like to take photos, this is one of the easy ways to donate as well. By using this app, you simply choose a charity from a list and upload a photo to the platform. For every photo you provide, Johnson & Johnson donates $1 to that charity. The photos are only used to promote Donate a Photo app or the charity itself. Likewise, you can only contribute 1 photo a day. Regardless, Donate a Photo is one of the more unique charity apps around.
- Shoparoo – Many people today don’t even hold onto their purchase receipts. But with Shoparoo, you might change your mind. By taking a picture of any shopping receipt, you can earn money for schools. Grocery receipts generate cash donations for schools. Other types of purchase receipts earn schools entries into donations sweepstakes awarded periodically. In fact, this can allow schools to win up to $15,000! Among various charity apps, this one is closest to old-school box-top donations. Shoparoo has simply made it one of the easy ways to donate to school using an app instead of cardboard.
Charity Apps Invite a Global Community of Giving
Technology can be challenging at times, but it can also invite new opportunities. Charity apps provide a great example of such an opportunity. By creating easy ways to donate, it increases the chance for each of us to give back to others. Likewise, this not only involves giving back within our local communities but to those in need around the world. (Check out this Project Bold Life story on the business person’s guide to giving back.) As the pandemic has shown us, we are clearly a global community. An event on one continent impacts another. This is why giving back on a broader scale is so important. And charity apps have clearly paved the way in this regard.
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