The Gift Of Giving

Learn about opportunities to give this winter.

Manchester Winter Markets are open, Costa’s festive drinks are out and jolly songs are creeping their way onto the radio. With Christmas fast approaching, many of us are thinking about gifts and giving.

Once, I made someone so emotional through a Christmas gift that they cried in joy. I can’t fully remember that December, but those few moments are so clear: them tearing the wrapping, how appreciative that person was, and how good it made me feel.

Giving provides us with a warm, fuzzy feeling in our chest and a big boost of Dopamine in our brain. Thus, improving our mental health in an otherwise dark and dreary time of the year.

And so, I’ll share ways you can give. Below are some simple things you can do to make a difference this winter.

How You Can Give

Anyone can give their time, effort, or money to a person or a cause; anyone can make an impact.

In fact, you are on the right website to learn how. Just jump over to Salford CVS’s volunteer portal to learn about all the incredible opportunities to volunteer in our community.

A great Christmassy volunteer role is the Oxfam Christmas Shop Assistant to support their charity shops in the region during one of the busiest times of the year.

And you don’t have to restrict yourself to Christmas volunteer roles. There are plenty of other interesting roles you could do like a Volunteer Diver for the British Red Cross or becoming an Equality and Diversity Champion.

Giving Tuesday

Taking place on Tuesday the 30^th of November, this awareness day is all about sharing and encouraging people to give after Black Friday. It’s an opportunity for you to shout about something you’ve given, or support a local charity’s volunteer or fundraising campaigns. Just remember to add #GivingTuesday to your social media posts.

If you work or volunteer for a good cause, you can use the Giving Tuesday toolkits for 2021 to enhance your social media or webpage. Resources are available on the Giving Tuesday Webpage.

Salford Winter Warmers

Our theme for the Salford CVS winter campaign is “Doing good, feeling good” where we’ll share more ways to give, Christmas charity events, and case studies about VCSE organisations making a difference. It’ll all be hidden in a Christmas calendar you can follow and open each day of the festive month. But instead of chocolates, you get a nice piece of information picked out special to give you the warm fuzzies.

So, check out our Winter Warmers webpage, keep your eyes peeled for the hashtag #SalfordWinterWarmers, and maybe even share your own Winter Warmer ideas and stories.