Why not add a little charity to your list of New Year goals? It’s as easy as it sounds, especially if you volunteer locally! Learn simple ways you can give back locally and improve your community. It may just be the most profound New Year’s resolution you can make. View the full article at http://accent.chubb.com/find-local-cause and for ways to help out your community, check out http://accent.chubb.com/community.

1. Find A Local Cause
Resolve to help your community

2. Most New Year’s resolutions are about self-
improvement. But what if you turned the focus
away from yourself and toward the world around
you? Perhaps the most profound resolution you
could make is to improve your local community.
Right now, a group of people in your region may
be raising funds for an area children’s hospital. Or
designing a new, eco-friendly park with colorful
public murals. Or rebuilding a habitat for an
endangered native butterfly.
What mission would you join—or begin?

3. There are seemingly endless ways to make a
difference in your community, and the first step is to
find a cause that matters to you. Begin by identifying
your own personal values.
Do you have special childhood memories of an arts
program? Reach out to local galleries, museums,
performing arts centers and libraries to learn which
nonprofits are in need of assistance.
Look Locally

4. Do you have deep-seated humanitarian beliefs?
Contact non-governmental organizations(NGOs)
concerned with human rights, disaster relief
or orphan welfare.
No matter what makes you tick, there is a group of
people who will benefit from your devotion and
resolve. Sites like GuideStar and VolunteerMatch
can help you search for nonprofits and charities
in your region based on your own interests.
Look Locally

5. If you are burning to start your own local
organization, it may be best to spend a year or two
working closely for another group so you can learn
the ins and outs of such an undertaking.
Or you could try to create a new local chapter for an
existing larger organization that may have training
systems in place to help you get started.
Start-Up Causes

6. Let’s say, for instance, that you’re interested in
creating scholarships for regional refugee children.
Start by volunteering with another education-related
charity, or contact national refugee advocacy groups
to see if they may be interested in helping students in
your region.
Start-Up Causes

7. It’s said that “time is money”—and the truth is
that both commodities are crucial when it comes to
nonprofit operation. Maybe you can’t commit to
as many hands-on volunteer hours as you’d like,
but remember that writing a check is no less
meaningful or impactful.
Giving money symbolizes your commitment
to the cause.
Money Matters

8. As you would with any other investment, take
the time to research your options and find a
choice that offers you the best charitable
“return n investment.”
We’re not talking personal profit, of course,
but a different kind of return—the satisfaction
of knowing you’ve helped a worthwhile
organization that matters to you.
Money Matters