[upthesaukee]

Another thing to consider is that if you belong to an organization or group, pick a charity or organization that mirrors your group's ideals, find a fundraising event to sponsor to raise money for that group, and then donate that money to the charity / group. A small group of volunteers as a group can often make far more for that charity than they could as individuals.
As an example, the Masonic Lodge in Alton is having a Ham & Bean supper this Saturday night from 5-7 at the Alton Masonic Lodge just south of the Alton Circle on Route 28. The beneficiary of this dinner will be the food pantries in Alton and New Durham, with each pantry getting an equal split of the proceeds.
We did a dinner in August without much advertising and were able to donate $200 to each food pantry. At this time of year when needs are very high, we are hoping that we can double our contributions from this dinner.
Use the power of your group and you will be surprised what you can do with your volunteerism for your favorite charity (ies).