Ever since I can remember, I have been volunteering in some way. As a child, I was a girl scout. In high school, I was a member of the National Honor Society and Key Club. A few years ago, my children and I even created a charity to throw birthday parties for homeless children.

To this day I feel the urge to always give time, or money, or volunteer in some way to help others. I guess that’s why I’m the Charity Editor here at BellaOnline.

But sometimes I have to say “no.” Giving does take time. And, like I have advised here in this column before, it is very possible to give a very little bit of your time and still make a difference. My problem is that I want to give a lot and I want to do it constantly, and what’s not good about that is it just can’t be done.

I am a mother of three children under the age of 10. I take care of them, and I take care of the household. I am also starting to go back to work as a public relations consultant. After my duties to my family and my job are met, I only have so much time left to give. And the worst thing I could do is say I can help and then not be able to follow through on that commitment.

So, I have learned to balance my giving, and you can too. I have determined that I have a few extra hours each week that I can “donate” back to my community. I have to make the best of those few hours. So, the biggest chunk of those few hours is going to Girl Scouts. I am my daughter’s Girl Scout leader and, not only do I thoroughly enjoy the time I spend volunteering, I know that I am having a positive impact on these young girls. My contribution here will be time well spent.

In the time that’s left, I can’t make any constant commitment. Instead, I make short-term volunteer commitments. I recently volunteered my public relations skills to help promote a benefit event for a sick child in my town. That didn’t take too much time from my schedule, but it made a big impression. My efforts there helped publicize the event and sell tickets, which meant more money to help offset the girl’s medical expenses.

I guess the bottom line is that if you have a big heart and feel like you have to give something to make your life complete, you can. Just know in advance what type of commitment you can make. And in the meantime, make sure your volunteering efforts aren’t detracting from your other responsibilities.

There’s always time for giving in one’s life – you just have to find the clock that works best for you!

Here are some recent articles from the Charity Site that may help you find quick and easy ways to be charitable.

Buy and Give to Charity
How Do You Define Charity?
Raise Funds by Browsing the Internet
Have Fun, Raise Funds
Be Charitable All Year
Small But Meaningful Donations
You Can be Charitable Despite Tough Economy

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