The holiday shopping has only just begun, and you might be over it already. You're not alone. Many people are looking for ways to move past all the gift giving and money spending.
Enter, Giving Tuesday, which this year falls on Dec. 2. It's the day we micro-pause in the season of commercialism to think about something bigger than ourselves. I reached out to four charities to ask about the best ways to make a difference — especially when the wallet is feeling thin.
Here's what Big Sunday, the L.A. Food Bank and Pasadena Humane animal rescue and the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County had to say. And — spoiler alert! — we guarantee you won’t feel guilted by any of their answers.
$5 is great. So is $1
Everyone we talked to said the same thing: a donation of any size helps.
“The majority of our donations are small,” said Kevin McManus, the spokesman for Pasadena Humane, which provides services across the L.A. area and helped nearly 40,000 animals last year.
And at the LA Food Bank, where most of the food is donated, just $1 can underwrite four meals. These are places that can lever economies of scale: "Our buying power is enormous. People give us a can of corn and that's wonderful," said Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County CEO Claudia Bonilla Keller. "But if you give us $1 we can buy three cans of corn."
So, even if your last name is not Bezos or Gates, you can still make a difference. (We'd be remiss if we didn't add that LAist.com will also be in the middle of a Giving Tuesday pledge drive if you want to support local independent journalism.)
-
Since it's the thought that counts, we put a lot of thought into the LAist gift guide for 2025. The gifts will be well received too, of course.
Consider direct payments
If you decide you want to donate, say, $5 a month, you might also think, “I’ll put this on my credit card and get the points.” And no nonprofit will ever complain about that! But here’s the catch: credit cards charge transaction fees, McManus said. And you want your entire $5 to go to your favorite cause, right? So consider setting up direct bank deposits. Or you can also go old school and write a check.
No money? No problem
Not every nonprofit is looking for money, though. Michael Flood, the CEO of the Los Angeles Food Bank says he needs hands. Specifically, volunteer hands to help as donated food items must be sorted, packed and boxed, and ultimately handed — literally handed — to people who suffer from food insecurity.
Their volunteer program is huge, with over 25,000 volunteers. "Many come in more than once and help, others come in just once," Flood said. "So you do not have to be in a position to contribute money to help. The volunteer time is incredibly helpful for us.”
Volunteer what you love
Can you knit for hours? Are you a movie expert? Can you sing? Are you handy with a hammer? Congratulations, you’ve just discovered your volunteer super power.
David Levinson, founder and executive director of Big Sunday, which is a kind of LinkedIn of sorts, matching up volunteers with those in need, said your particular set of skills can lead to all sorts of volunteering opportunities. How? Set up a once a month knitting club, movie club or sing-along at your local senior center or shelter. Reach out to your local house of worship and see if they have anything that needs fixing.
If you have professional skills like organizing or video editing, organizations will happily find a spot for you. At Pasadena Humane, for example, McManus said staffing a pet food pantry is a growing need. And in Orange County, the food bank needs help working the fields of its Irvine farmland.
Support LAist today
Start in January
Probably weren’t expecting that one, were you? Levinson said volunteering during the holidays is welcomed, but nonprofits understand you might be feeling stressed. No worries. There’s plenty to do come January, and the rest of 2026. "In January, there will still be hungry people ... that giving spirit will really be needed when the tinsel is cleaned up and all the trees are gone," Bonilla Keller said.
You can spend this month reaching out to places to gauge their interest. Just look for the “How To Help” or “Volunteer” button you’ll find on the website of nearly every charity that relies on extra hands.
No lifetime commitment needed
Volunteering doesn’t need to mean you sign your life over. Flood, at the LA Food Bank, said he’s thrilled when folks come in and just do a single three-hour shift.
One of the most important things people can do to help animals is foster, said McManus. This could be especially good for someone like a college student, who knows they plan to travel all next summer and can’t take on a pet. So why not foster a cat until then? Don’t hesitate to tell your chosen charity: “I can only give you one afternoon a month. What can I do?”
It can be a workout
“People can be on their feet for hours, they’re surprised at how much of a workout it is,” Flood said of the Food Bank’s sorting and bagging work. “They say, ‘Well, I don’t have to go to the gym today.’”
At Pasadena Humane, there are endless piles of laundry that need folding, McManus noted. So volunteering can also do double duty for those looking to stay active. (Sierra Club trail work and Heal the Bay beach cleanups also come to mind.) If you have physical limitations, no problem. Just let everyone know up front and accommodations can be made.
Hate people? Volunteer
Maybe you have a job where people are coming at you all day and you just want to be left alone on weekends. Nonprofits can work with that. Levinson said one of his most effective volunteers was a woman who said upfront that she “was bad with people.” But she was a super organizer. On any project that involved reorganizing a supply closet, or office, or even a file cabinet, she got the call.
Do it just once
“Start small,” said Levinson. “Don’t sign on to be a mentor everyday for the next year… Don’t say you can come up with 1,000 toys [to give to children]... Say, I can come up with 20 toys. Do it as a one off. See if you like it.” And don’t hesitate to keep going until you find a nonprofit or a cause that suits your time and skills.
Sometimes, all you need to do is smile
Every nonprofit we talked to mentioned the kinds of demands that just require a smile, a friendly word, and a willingness to roll with the punches. Such as, handing out name tags. Welcoming people to the party. Directing foot traffic. Answering basic questions at special functions. Sitting down and lending an ear. Laughing and clapping in the front row while kids sing on stage. Handing out a bag of food. These are all simple acts that require very little time. Volunteering doesn't mean you need to reinvent the wheel. Just showing up helps.
It's good for your mental health
All the experts we spoke to said they are aware that many of us don’t volunteer because we fear it will be depressing, or overwhelming, or jeopardize our own mental health. Many people decline to foster, McManus said, because “it’s really hard to say goodbye” when it’s over. But, he added, “Helping people or animals helps build your own personal resiliency …I know volunteers who have struggled with their mental health and they use helping the animals as a kind of therapy.”
He said this philosophy relates to other volunteering situations as well. “No, we can’t solve hunger, but we can help the people who are hungry," he added. "That feeling, that you are helping people or animals who are in need, that feeling fills your soul.”
This story originally published in 2023 and has been updated.
