Five Easy Ways to Support the Institutions You Love

Institutions provide immense value to society, but they need the support of individuals to continue pursuing their missions.

I recently published an article suggesting five tips to help build and sustain institutions, but you might want more specific guidance on how to do that. This post is going to be purely practical. I have intentionally designed this list to appeal to everyone; anyone who reads this article can do at least one of the items on this list.

In fact, I hope that by the end of this article, you will actually do just one of the items on this list. If you do, I would love to hear about it. Shoot me a message on my contact page.

1. Give Money

Running organizations takes money.

It is not easy to ask for money, and it is often frowned upon, but it is hard to do a lot of the great things that institutions want to do without finances. I understand that not everyone is in a position to support organizations financially, but it is an obvious way to put resources in the hands of the people running the organization. They know their needs as well as anyone, so providing financially will help them complete their mission.

You knew this would be the first item on the list (and probably dreaded it), but it is important.

2. Promote Their Work

Institutions exist to support specific causes, but you have an audience that the institution does not have.

Sometimes promoting an organization’s work is as simple as sharing its website on Facebook. I had a friend who had questions about biblical archaeology recently, so I shared another friend’s work in that area. Institutions create something they believe will improve society, so if more people know about their output, the institution will appreciate an ever-broadening network.

We all have friends, and graduating from fan to promoter is a great way to support an institution.

3. Volunteer Your Time

Institutions never seem to lack for ideas, but they often lack manpower.

Especially in the nonprofit sector, volunteer work is the lifeblood of many organizations. Whether it is your local animal shelter or church, people donating their time keeps everything moving. I understand that we all have busy lives and time is valuable, but good things only exist because people give their time to make them happen.

If you reach out to your favorite organization and ask if you can help, you might be able to help sustain that project into the future.

4. Write an Encouraging Message

You may not have financial resources, much of a social network, or time to volunteer, but you do have five minutes to send a kind message.

When I was the Managing Editor of An Unexpected Journal, I loved receiving messages from people who just wanted to say that they enjoyed specific issues or articles. They didn’t want anything, but the kind words made me smile. Even the simplest message can give you the energy to carry on and persevere in a world that often opposes institutions.

As I stressed in my previous article, running institutions can be tiring, so kind words are like an oasis in the desert.

5. Make a Connection

You might not be able to support an organization directly, but you might know someone who would be perfect.

When I hear about someone who wants to play power soccer, I try to get them in touch with a local team. I may not be right there to help this person play power soccer, but I want to help facilitate that experience if I can because I believe it is a great sport. It just takes a few minutes on my part to make a recommendation, but both the institution and the individual will hopefully benefit from the connection.

I would not be the right person to help out a power soccer team in Montana directly, but I can help support their mission whenever the opportunity presents itself with nothing more than a two-minute message.

You might think that truly supporting institutions takes deep pockets and a full lifetime commitment, but I would like to suggest that many hands make light work. If you do your part to support the institutions you believe in to the extent that you can and I do the same, it will make a difference to them so that they can make a difference in the world.