How to Help Your Neighbors in Need - Colorado State University

While we’re a global campus, CSU Global is committed to our local community as well. We reach out and help where we can, and encourage our students, faculty, and staff to do the same! You don’t need to change the world to make it a better place. Start close to home.

The Rock It Sock It Sock Drive

This winter, CSU Global participated in the Rock It Sock It drive to collect thousands of pairs of socks for unhoused members of the Aurora, Colorado, community. Socks are an often-overlooked item when it comes to charitable donations, but they’re absolutely essential for the health, comfort, and confidence of those who spend hours on their feet, often in extreme weather conditions.

Although this particular sock drive has ended, the need for socks, food, and other necessities is ongoing. One of the most helpful things you can do for your community is to ask your local shelters what they need most, and provide it.

Virtual Volunteerism

There are a multitude of charities seeking ongoing volunteer sign ups through aggregator sites and other umbrella organizations. One of the easiest ways to get involved is to search for virtual opportunities on sites like VolunteerMatch. Specific cause-oriented groups, like Reading Partners that historically facilitated in-person tutoring, have innovated over the last year to include virtual tutoring options supported by their existing curriculum.

Virtual volunteer opportunities are available to help nearly every community and cause, and you can choose to donate your time to projects that are meaningful to you. This approach also makes it easy to share an opportunity with anyone in your personal network that may be willing to team up and volunteer with you.

Donate Safely

Amazon’s Wishlist feature is great for charitable giving, offering an easy way to donate items directly via its Amazon Smile program. The Wishlist feature was originally designed for baby and wedding registries or birthday requests, but over the previous year many more charitable organizations have been creating lists as well.

The Smile program also still supports donating .5% of eligible purchases to charitable organizations. This is another easy way to make a difference in the community, all while doing the online shopping you would have done anyway. Amazon reports serving over a million different charities and facilitating over $266 million in donations through its Smile program.

Check on Your Loved Ones

Even those who haven’t experienced financial difficulties over the past year are dealing with the strain of prolonged isolation. People can’t visit with their friends, grandparents can’t see their families, healthcare workers can’t come home, and many people are struggling with the constant stresses of at-home work and school.

Safely check in on the people you know who might be in such a situation. Talk to them on the phone or over video calls — you can even have video happy hours, play board games online, or watch movies together to lessen the burden of social isolation.

Charitable Due Diligence

While virtual volunteering, donating, and checking in on the people in your life are all simple ways to build and support a better community, you may want to explore even more opportunities and also do a little vetting of the charities you plan to benefit.

Charity Navigator is a great tool for finding information about specific charities and tips for making the most of your experience, including information on informed giving.

Whatever path you take to giving something back, we’ll look forward to joining forces with you to build stronger communities globally and locally.

Return to All Posts