I am Happy to Help TRAS! What One Person Can Do

By Laura Kassama

TRAS member Laura Kassama shares two creative and easy ways to raise money for charity.

OFFICE BOTTLE COLLECTION PROGRAM

I collect bottles from the office and also from my home and any friends or family who would like to participate (sometimes they give me the bottles, but more often they give me the cash after they do their own recycling). I handle all the recycling and keep a log of the money I collect, and then I usually match the money I have raised with the bottle collection, and make the donation in the early part of the following year.

I have been running the program for approximately six years, and each year the overall donation is usually between $120 and $220. I have found that the donation itself is fairly small for the amount of work, but I like the idea that I’m helping others to be in the habit of recycling and it’s for a good cause. I consider this to be a two-fold program helping the environment as well as being able to benefit charitable work.

ONLINE GARAGE SALES

I also sell items I no longer need on Craigslist, and donate the proceeds to charity.

I haven’t involved others in this so far, but it would be an interesting idea to create an online “garage sale” benefiting an organization.

If a donor wanted to promote it, they could ask for help online with an ad that tells people about the organization they are planning on helping. Then they could let people know the results online, by posting a note like this: “Thank you for participating in the ‘Bazaar for Charity Event’. We raised $______ for the Trans-Himalayan Aid Society!”

I know many schools and other organizations that organize book sales, bazaars, bake sales and other types of sales that could be advertised for free on Craigslist and Kijiji.

Personally, I really like the idea of partnering with other organizations and groups of people to create greater community involvement – even if it’s just among my family and friends.

What can you do?