The Donegal Giving Challenge – A Little Thought Can Make a Big Difference This Christmas

Five weeks, one simple act of giving, and a chance for all of us to make a difference.

Christmas is coming, and with it comes one of the busiest times of the year. We’re all running around buying presents, making plans, getting organised and wondering how another year has gone by so quickly.

But it’s also a time when a little thoughtfulness can go a very long way.

That’s really what our Donegal Giving Challenge is all about.

We’re asking people right across Donegal, and indeed people wherever they are in the world, to take part in one simple act of giving over the next five weeks.

And before anybody thinks, “Oh, I haven’t time for something else,” I promise you, this doesn’t have to be anything big.

In fact, the simpler the better!

So what could you do?

There are hundreds of ways we can give something back, particularly at this time of year, and many of them are things we can easily fit into our everyday lives.

Here are just a few ideas to get you thinking.

Have a clear-out of your cupboards. We all have clothes, toys, books and household items that are sitting there doing nothing. Why not donate some good-quality items to one of our local charity shops?

Buy a few Christmas presents in a charity shop. There are some lovely finds in our charity shops around Donegal. You’re giving a gift to somebody while supporting a good cause at the same time.

Support a local Christmas craft fair or fundraiser. There will be Christmas markets, school fairs, community fundraisers and craft events happening in towns and villages across Donegal. Why not buy a few presents there instead? You’re supporting local people, local makers and community organisations.

Help somebody with their Christmas shopping. Maybe you know somebody who doesn’t drive, isn’t well, or simply finds getting out and about difficult. Offer to pick up a few things or bring them along with you.

Give a carer a little bit of time. If you know somebody caring for a loved one, maybe you could offer to sit with that person for half an hour, where appropriate, so the carer can get out for a coffee, go for a walk or simply have a bit of time to themselves.

Make that phone call. We all have somebody we’ve been meaning to ring. An older neighbour, a former colleague, a friend who has been having a difficult time or somebody who lives away from home. Pick up the phone and have a chat.

Tell somebody they’re doing a good job. Think of the people who quietly do so much in our communities. The volunteers, the carers, the people running local organisations, the neighbour who’s always helping somebody. A few words of encouragement can mean an awful lot.

Give somebody a hand. It could be putting up Christmas decorations, delivering something, helping with a bit of shopping, or offering to do a small job for somebody who might struggle to do it themselves.

Support a local community fundraiser. If there’s a coffee morning, Christmas raffle, charity collection or community event coming up, see if you can help. Even sharing the details with a few friends could make a difference.

Include somebody. If you know somebody who might be spending a lot of time on their own, invite them for a cuppa, a walk, or to join you at a local event. Sometimes being remembered is the nicest gift of all.

Give your time or knowledge. Maybe there’s a young person looking for advice about work, somebody starting a small business or a community group that could do with a bit of help. You might have experience or knowledge that would be really valuable to somebody else.

And that’s just a handful of ideas.

There are so many wonderful community groups, charities, social enterprises, volunteers and local initiatives doing great work throughout Donegal. Christmas is a lovely opportunity to support them in whatever way we can.

But here’s the thing. You don’t even have to spend a single cent to take part in this challenge.

Sometimes the most valuable thing we can give is our time, a bit of encouragement, a listening ear or simply letting somebody know that we’re thinking about them.

How does the Donegal Giving Challenge work?

We’ve made it as simple as we possibly can.

All you need to do is register for the Donegal Giving Challenge through our website.

You can choose one of the suggested acts of giving we’ve put together, or you can come up with something completely different that you’d like to do yourself.

Then go and do it!

We’ll send you a few emails along the way with ideas, encouragement and little reminders to keep the challenge going.

You might decide to do your act of giving within five hours of registering. You might do it over five days, or you might use the full five weeks.

It’s entirely up to you.

The one thing we really want you to do is come back and let us know when you’ve completed your challenge.

There will be a simple way to mark it as completed.

If you’d like to tell us what you did, we’d absolutely love to hear your story. You might inspire somebody else to do something similar.

But if you’d rather keep it to yourself, that’s perfectly fine too.

You don’t have to tell the world about it, take photographs or make a big song and dance about what you’ve done.

In many ways, that’s the whole point. A thoughtful act doesn’t need an audience.

Why are we asking you to register?

Since we started Donegal Giving, one of the things we’ve talked about is how much giving already happens in our communities.

We see it all the time. People helping neighbours, supporting fundraisers, volunteering, sharing their experience and doing little things for others without ever giving it a second thought.

And that’s wonderful.

But we also want to encourage more people to get involved, particularly those who might think they have nothing to give.

Because everybody has something.

As a social enterprise, we also need to be able to demonstrate that what we’re doing is making a difference.

That’s why registering and letting us know you’ve completed your challenge is so important.

It helps us measure how many people are taking part, how many acts of giving have been completed and just how far this idea can travel.

We won’t know every person who benefits, and we certainly won’t be able to measure every smile or every bit of kindness. But we can start to build a picture of what happens when people make that conscious decision to give something.

And that’s something worth measuring.

Born in Donegal, but we’d love to see it travel around the world

One of the loveliest things about Donegal is the connection people have with home.

Whether you’re living in Letterkenny, Lifford, Ballybofey, Buncrana, Dungloe, Killybegs, Glenties, Carndonagh or somewhere much further away, you can take part.

We have Donegal people scattered across the world, and wouldn’t it be lovely to see some of them getting involved too?

You don’t have to be in Donegal to do something thoughtful for somebody.

And you don’t have to be from Donegal either!

If you’re reading this in Scotland, America, Australia, England, Canada or anywhere else, you’re every bit as welcome to join us.

We’re also asking our local businesses, community organisations, schools, families and workplaces to get behind the challenge.

Imagine if everybody in a workplace decided to do just one thoughtful thing. Or a family chose something they could do together. Or a group of friends decided to support a local community initiative this Christmas.

Nothing complicated. Just getting on with it.

Will you give it a go?

I’d love to see as many people as possible taking part in this first Donegal Giving Challenge.

We’re not asking you to commit to hours of volunteering, raise hundreds of euro or take on something that becomes another job on your list.

We’re simply asking you to think about what you could give and then do it.

It could take five minutes. It could take half an hour. It could be something you’ve been meaning to do for ages.

And remember, once you’ve done it, come back and tell us you’ve completed your challenge. That’s the bit that will help us show what we’ve achieved together.

If you can encourage a friend, a colleague or a family member to register too, even better.

One act of giving. Five weeks to do it. And hopefully thousands of people taking part, here in Donegal and around the world.

That’s our challenge to you this Christmas.

Will you join us?

Visit donegalgiving.com/challenge to get involved in the Donegal Giving Challenge.

Donegal Giving – celebrating and encouraging the giving of time, talent, wisdom, opportunity and kindness. Born in Donegal, with a global outlook.