Take a look around your local community, and you will suddenly realize how many local grassroots charities are around. Grassroots charities tend to focus more on the local community, and the benefits and hard work of these charities
can often be seen on a local level. Big name organizations do a fantastic job, but may not immediately support projects or causes in your area.
Instead of donating to larger national, or even international organizations, consider supporting grassroots charities. Many people who donate to grassroots organizations often claim to get a much deeper sense of satisfaction. Quite often, they can see, and perhaps even experience the benefits of supporting a cause closer to home.
There are many reasons for supporting a local grassroots organization instead of a big name charity.
Most benefactors of a charity like to see the results of their donation. Smaller charities with lower overhead costs allow more of the money that you donate to a grassroots charity to go directly to the cause itself. Larger organizations need to spend money on advertising to continuously raise awareness of its cause, and therefore, less goes to the purpose of the charity. For instance, if an organization is raising money for starving children in Africa, you may first become aware of the cause through a television or magazine advert. Advertising is very costly, and therefore some of the money you donate goes to pay for the advertising.
A smaller local grassroots charity most often does not spend money on advertising. Instead, it may be promoted by a church group, or local people who have got together to raise money for a cause close to their hearts. Many times, you will find that local media are only too happy to help local charities free of charge.
Larger charitable organizations also spend a lot of money on wages. Some very large charities operate just like big companies with a chief executive and board of directors. Some of these positions are paid so the donations made to the charity must also cover salaries.
Local charities often rely on volunteers who get together in their spare time to hold fund raising events and to raise awareness. Most supporters of local groups work hard, are passionate and care about their cause.
More often than not, by supporting a local grassroots charities, you will also be able to see what the money is spent on. Sometimes, when you donate to a large charity, all the donations seem to disappear in a big black hole, and you never see the end result of your donation.
Local charities often receive money from the local people, so it is important for them to keep their donors informed of what is going on. Sometimes, new projects are in the pipeline, and by keeping their donors informed, the charity is more likely to increase or receive new donations.
Finally, by donating to your local grassroots charity, you may even help yourself. You might for instance, find that there is a group in your area trying to raise awareness for an environmental project. If the funds raised goes to a project to clean up, or create an area of natural beauty, then your donation has not only benefited others, but the benefits can be seen and enjoyed by yourself as well. Being able to see the end result of your donation can make the experience much more personal, and can even lead to a long relationship with a local grassroots charity.