Regardless of the time of year, there is always a need for donations — be it time, money, goods, or services. It’s no secret the recession has caused charitable donations to decline over the past two years. The demand for help surged as the economy spiraled lower, but corporate giving decreased by 4.5% in 2009, according to the Giving USA Foundation. An era of scarce resources is encouraging companies to embrace alternatives to cash to support their charitable activities. As such, product and service donations, as well as employee volunteer efforts, are increasingly popular.

Does your organization give back to a non-profit, either by providing in-kind products and services, donating money or property, or volunteering to help out? Finding ways for your company to give back to others may be front-of-mind as the holiday season ramps up. Keep in mind that, according to Charles Moore of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, philanthropy is led by the CEOs and company executives — your leadership must be onboard and active in the cause(s). He also emphasizes that your philanthropy should align with your core business competencies.

To get you started, here are a few simple corporate giving ideas:

Organize a charity event or day. Have a "bring-a-toy-for-a-child-day" during the holiday season, or arrange to have a "bring-a-canned-good-item-day" for a local food pantry. If you live in the U.S., participate in the food drive organized by the U.S. Postal Service each year, "Stamp out Hunger." Other examples include coins for critters (spare change that can be donated to an animal shelter), backpacks and school supplies for contributions to back-to-school drives at homeless shelters, or adopting a local family (via a charity, the military, etc.) to support with food and gifts during the holidays.

Share your miles and points. If your organization accrues miles for travel and can’t use them all before they expire, rather than lose them, donate them. Contact your specific airline to determine the appropriate procedure for donating airline miles to a charity organization. Each airline has a different procedure, so it will be necessary to research the appropriate method of donation. For example, AirTran Airways requires you to submit the request online, while Delta Airlines requires you to submit the request over the phone.

Match your employees. Some companies choose to match their employees’ contributions to company-approved charities. This can be executed by selecting one or two charities for your organization to support and then giving employees the options to contribute in the pre-selected charity matching programs. Or, you can have each employees submit their contributions to charity for individual evaluation by the company’s program manager. Global Language Solutions has been supporting a charity in St. Petersburg, Russia that provides support to the elderly.

Be in-kind. Whether your organization prints collateral or fixes appliances, there is an opportunity to offer in-kind services to individuals in need or charities. For example, Constant Contact offers low cost and sponsored e-mail marketing accounts to qualified non-profits. Global Language Solutions provides free translation services to Whole Child International, an international aid organization based in Los Angeles that works with governments to improve the quality of life for children in orphanages.

Start a team. Get a group of employees together and get involved in the community. Have your team walk together in a charity 5k and wear employer-sponsored matching shirts. Or, set up special volunteer projects, such as an employee beach or park clean-up day. Consider organizing your projects during working hours so that you encourage participation and demonstrate that giving back is important. This type of corporate-led volunteer initiative can also create a greater sense of community within your organization. Or, support a local youth team via a small financial contribution. This can also help with your branding and outreach efforts in your local community.

Spread the news. Many companies will donate to charities toward the end of the year. If your company is going to do so, make an event of it — for example, host an event and give all proceeds from that night to charity. Or, if your company gives out gifts to clients or customers, try sending a note this year saying that you have donated to a certain charity on their behalf. Perhaps you can present your company’s donation in person at the selected charity’s holiday event. You can also post information about your contributions on your corporate website, newsletter, blogs, etc. This allows others to learn about the charity and potentially contribute, as well.

Put a twist on traditional season’s greetings. In this case, yes, we are talking about the standard winter and New Year holiday greetings. Consider allowing your clients and/or employees to select a charity from a list of 3-4 that you will make a nominal donation to in their name. Consider the site JustGive.org, a giving portal of sorts that allows you to donate to over one million charities. You can also send a charity e-card, the GiveNow Card, which can be redeemed for any number of charities in its database.

By integrating charitable giving into your company, you can build a workplace where employees are inspired to give, both to their company and to the community.

If you know a non-profit organization that could benefit from in-kind translation services, please contact us.