12th Day of Christmas Giveaways with Nicki Koziarz
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Welcome to the 12th Day of Christmas Giveaways!!!
Today my friend Nicki Koziarz is here to share “5 Things We Can Always Give For Free.” She will be offering one reader a $50 donation to Proverbs 31 ministries in your name as well as a $25 gift certificate to the Proverbs 31 ministries store.
To join in on the fun and be entered to win the various prizes, simply leave a comment on the post answering the question of the day. ALSO—one grand prize will be given to one person who comments on all 12 days.
The Grand Prize is a $50 gift certificate to Proverbs 31 Ministries store and a $50 gift certificate to Amazon.com!!!
Now, here is Nicki for today’s post…
5 Things We Can Always Give For Free
It happened again this morning.
An email from an organization I adore sent me a request to help fund a year-end campaign. With an ache in my heart, I looked at our budget, our bank account and realized we weren’t going to be able to give to them. We had already committed giving to several places and there just wasn’t anything left.
So, I pressed delete on that email and tried to move on with my day.
But something still aches and so, I’m asking God to show me …
What does one do when our bank accounts don’t match our hearts?
I think there’s always something we can do. Generosity goes beyond the checkbook.
So, here are five things God showed me I can always give for free to a ministry or organization I love.
1. Prayers
And I don’t just mean a “Help them Jesus,” prayer … I mean setting aside a few minutes to really hit our knees on their behalf. Ask God to give you a verse to pray over their work and then, send it to them to tell them what you are praying for!
2. Online support.
One of the biggest needs of most organizations past funding is getting the word out about their cause. It costs ZERO dollars to send out a Tweet, or to post something on Facebook/Instagram. Also, a great way to spread the word is tag your friends in THEIR posts on social media.
3. Words of encouragement.
If a ministry/organization has blessed you, even in the smallest way, tell them! Most websites have a place where you can send an email or throw them a shout-out on social media. No one can hear too much the good they are doing in the world.
4. Involvement all year long.
I know Christmas and Year-End is when we give the most, but a lot of organizations are looking for partnerships all year long. Maybe you could volunteer at an event they are hosting, or bring the staff lunch or some homemade goodies one day. There are also many volunteer roles they are looking to fill beyond the holidays. Ask them what you can do to help.
5. Connections
Do you know someone who would be a good fit for them? Maybe they have a job opening or volunteer role they are looking to fill. Most of the time the listings are posted on their websites. Hop on their site and just see if you have a connection to offer them.
So, instead of clicking the delete button this year, I’m going to pick one of these five things I can do. It’s helping me match my actions with my desire to give.
Today, I’m giving away something a little different.
Karen Ehman and I both serve at Proverbs 31 Ministries where we are incredibly passionate about eradicating Biblical poverty. We know that the Word of God is the most important thing our world needs. And every dime at Proverbs is used to move towards that effort.
So, I’ll be giving away a $50 donation on YOUR behalf to Proverbs 31 Ministries and Karen is giving away a $25 gift certificate to purchase anything from the Proverbs 31 Ministries bookstore.
To enter, leave a comment sharing which of these giving tips was your favorite! Also, do you have other ideas on how you can give for free? Leave those as well. You never know who you’ll inspire!
Thanks for hanging out with me today! Merry Christmas!!!
Great post and helpful list. I love giving online support to others and cheering them on!
Your suggestions are so helpful. Prayer and words of encouragement are such a good place to start, seeing the blessings of God working through the agency to the world. Other ways to help beside money. Thank You!
I love these ideas. I hadn’t thought of them before. I often get conflicted because there are so many great organizations that do so much good and I want to support them all! Your ideas will help me help them, even if it isn’t monetarily.
Praying and words of encouragement.
I have felt helpless in the past when I really wanted to give support monetarily, but could not. This is a great reminder to us of all the other ways help can be given. All of these are important, but I think words of encouragement is the easiest one to ignore, thinking that it won’t matter. As someone who gains strength from acknowledgement, I will make an effort to make sure I thank organizations/groups I believe in for the difference they are making.
THANK YOU, Proverbs 31, for blessing me all through the year. I have gained much strength and hope in my own life as I read the daily devotions. Thanks so much to each writer for allowing God to work through them to reach others for Him. Proverbs 31 encourages and challenges me to be a better Christian everyday. THANK YOU and Merry Christmas!
Along with praying for an organization, it’s staff, volunteers, board, financial partners, etc. it is a great encouragement like you said to send that note. However by going on their website you can get the name of the director, board members etc. and let them know you are praying for them by name. Very powerful and encouraging!
These are all great ideas and I love them all especially the words of encouragement
Prayer & words of encouragement. My 2016 goal is to be bold in my prayer…. to be audacious! And I love the idea of letting others know when they’ve blessed my life even in the smallest of ways.
I never thought of offering an organization online support. This is definitely an idea I will use as the letters and phone calls come in asking for help.
I would definately have to say Prayer.
I like sincere prayer and/or words of encouragement. Why not both!
I love offering words of encouragement to individuals who go above and beyond and one’s who improve my life.
i love these tips. Sometimes I forget that praying for a ministry is important. I can’t always give money but I can give my time in prayer and volunteering.
#4 because most organizations need support year round and most get overwhelmed during the holidays but struggle the rest of the year……I’m going to make more of an effort to spread out my support over the whole year.
Definitely prayers of support. And I love the donation to Proverbs 31. As a stay at home mom and a husband that has been unemployed for several months, I can’t do as much as I’d like. With 3 kids and the groups they are involved in, we’ve already shared the cash and bought some items to still help others that are definitely worse off than we are. I think that is one thing God has been teaching me. I still find some finances to give and I can see the blessings from Him to take care of us in return.
I like all 5 of the things we can do. I have also given all I can this year. It breaks my heart that I can’t give more. Thank you for showing us there are other things we can give. God bless you, and Merry Christmas.
I like the connections idea. Thanks for this great post.