‘Tis the season when many of us feel pressed for time and energy. The holiday season is lovely in many ways, but it can be demanding and stressful in others!

Perhaps you’d like to give and receive gifts that don’t create clutter, and make holiday plans that don’t cause stress (Click to Tweet!).

This Tuesday is Giving Tuesday. After a weekend full of sales, promotions, and other encouragement to shop until we drop, Giving Tuesday reminds us that there are ways to give that don’t require shopping at all.

Research shows that giving and altruism actually make people feel good – across cultures, income levels, and ages. We invite you to experience these good feels for yourself! Giving to a meaningful cause is a beautiful way to balance our culture’s emphasis on consumerism and give yourself a dose of happiness. It also invites you to reflect on the abundance in your life.

If you live in a home with central heating, running water, and electricity, that’s abundance. If you have family and friends to celebrate the holidays with, that’s abundance. If you have the resources to visit museums, travel, and give gifts to your loved ones, that’s abundance!

Giving Tuesday is a great time to consider giving some of that abundance to organizations and causes that are doing good in the world. You might also choose to honor a friend or family member by making a donation in their name.

Below are some of our favorite organizations to support:

Soles4Souls

Soles4Souls is an inspiring organization that takes your gently used shoes and distributes them with people around the world who need shoes of their own.

But I love this organization because they do more than simply give away the shoes. Soles4Souls partners with micro-enterprise organizations to distribute shoes for resale. Local micro-entrepreneurs get an inventory of shoes and are able to sell them in their community! This supports the local economy and gives people new ways to provide for themselves and their families.

You can get involved by hosting a local shoe drive or donating to the organization. Go to their drop-off locator page to see if there is a donation location near you.

Bikes for the World

The mission of Bikes for the World is “to make quality used bicycles and parts affordable and available to lower income people and select institutions in developing countries, to enhance their lives and livelihoods through better transport [and] to generate skilled employment in bicycle repair and maintenance overseas, and to provide satisfying environmental and humanitarian community service opportunities for volunteers in the United States.”

I’m inspired by their work. They’ve donated almost 131,000 bikes! You can give to this organization monthly or whenever is comfortable for you. To give you an idea of what your money provides:

  • $10 a month can outfit two bike mechanics with tools
  • $25 a month sends helmets to over 40 school children.
  • $50 a month delivers 24 bikes, so kids can get to school and farmers can get goods to market.

If there is a biker on your holiday list, consider donating to Bikes for the World on their behalf.

New Dream

New Dream empowers individuals, communities, and organizations to transform the ways they consume to improve well-being for people and the planet. They are known for their impressive So Kind Registry, an alternative gift registry that emphasizes experiences, favors, and gifts in the form of donations.

I also love their series on Simplifying the Holidays. At Mindful Decluttering & Organizing, we are all in support of simplifying this (and any other) time of year.

We are proud to be featured on New Dream’s blog, where we published a post which offers guidance on dealing with not only your own stuff, but inherited items and things owned by others in your household. Check it out at: “Your Stuff, Their Stuff, Our Stuff.”

Hungry for Music

Hungry for Music “has placed more than 10,000 instruments into the hands of aspiring musicians. Children whose trajectory has been altered by the uplifting and life-changing gift of music. We’ve delivered everything from guitars and trombones to violins and xylophones to kids in 48 states and 20 countries.”

Hungry for Music collects and redistributes more than 500 instruments annually. This is a great organization to give money – or any instruments you don’t use anymore!

Music lovers may appreciate a donation to Hungry for Music made in their honor.

We can make different choices

The gift-shopping frenzy picks up steam even before Thanksgiving weekend and Black Friday. While we started hearing holiday music and seeing evergreen swag before Halloween, Thanksgiving weekend is when many of us get into the spirit of giving. And if you’re not satisfied with the rampant consumerism of this time of year, know that it is not too late to make different choices.

Deciding Where to Give

All people respond to stories. But the stories and causes that pull YOUR heartstrings are unique to you! If you’re unsure where to donate your money or whether the charities you support are well regarded, check out Charity Navigator and Charity Watch. These reputable organizations rate charities based on their transparency and how well they use the money they receive.

There are Many Ways to Give

If you’re looking for other ways to give meaningful gifts to the people in your life, we’ve got you covered. We love giving gifts that don’t create clutter. Discover tons of creative ideas below:

How can you share abundance on Giving Tuesday? Do you have a favorite clutter-free gift? Please share in the comments!

Discover more ways to mindfully declutter your home or office here! >>

Studies show that giving to others makes you happier. Consider giving to these charities for #GivingTuesday and gifting clutter-free gifts to your loved ones.