There are hundreds of charities out there now and they all have to come up with imaginative ways of raising money. Some charity ideas are tried and tested, such as sponsored walks and door-to-door collections. We are all familiar with charity shops and old clothes sales. Other sponsored activities have included skydiving, abseiling and parachuting. There are other, less adventurous ways of fundraising, like sponsored chess marathons or swimming a record number of laps.

Instead of throwing away the clothes that no longer fit you, or that you feel are no longer in style, consider taking them to a place near you that takes clothing donations. Not only are you giving your clothes new life, you may be giving hope and help to someone who otherwise feels hopeless. You can give clothing donations to your local Salvation Army, or you can give them during one of the many clothing drives your community may hold many times during the year.

Almost never have people involved in fundraising for non profit organizations seem a time like the one we live in today. For as long as anyone can remember, American businesses and private citizens have always been generous in the way they supported nonprofits for what they favored. Each year that fundraisers have tried to raise money so far has without exception been better than the year that came before. Fundraisers remember how in the mid-80s, nonprofits experienced some terrible years. They thought they had left all that behind them until the financial crisis of 2008 arrived. Donations actually dropped 3% that year. After a couple of years living on donations that have been smaller and less generous, nearly 10% of the country's nonprofits risk shutting down this year. Volunteers who give their time to help raise funds for nonprofits have been growing desperate. Clearly, they can't spread out and ask for people for their generosity; that has clearly proven to not work. Instead, they are turning to finding ways to persuade existing donors to be more generous. They are branching out internationally and trying new ways - such as micro-donations instead of large ones for fewer people. Facebook fundraising for nonprofit is the latest thing. Things are finally beginning to look up now for the nonprofits; but they still have a long way to go.

Unless you're very well to do, chances are you have a regular job that keeps you busier than you'd like – on the other hand, it does pay the bills! Today, jobs are not so abundant and many people are having their hours cut, or are even being laid off. Should you find yourself with time on your hands and few prospects for paying jobs, you might consider doing some community volunteer service. Aside from the fact that you derive the pleasure of giving something back to your community, often times this is a great way to work yourself in to a paying job, down the road.