Give your Best Shot – to Charity!

Donating to your favorite cause is easier than ever in the age of the Internet. Just click and done. It doesn’t have to be your dime that you give though. Charities are always in need of visuals to promote their cause, so consider clicking your camera instead of your mouse. Giving of your time and talents is a bit like going to the gym. Once you do, you find it’s easier than you thought it would be and you feel great afterward. Even better – someone deserving is also getting a huge benefit from your efforts. If you have children, teaching them to give back is a great lesson too, especially this time of year.

Ways to donate your photography
·Do a holiday portrait session for a child or family in need and frame an 8×10 print for them to hang on their wall. Share the whole session with them online too.
·Offer to photograph a charitable event or the charity in action and allow them to use the photos on their website and Facebook pages.
·Make a photo book telling the story of a time you gave (like at a charity walk or soup kitchen). Keep one for your family and make an extra book to send to the charity.
·Print and frame a photo of the people that the organization has helped, which they may proudly display at their headquarters.

How did I give back? We all have a cause that speaks to us. For me, that has to be the Make-A-Wish Foundation, who do the most amazing things for little ones with life threatening medical conditions. A few months ago, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Hudson Valley asked me about photographing three of their Wish Kids. Of course I said yes and quickly gathered a team of generous colleagues to help out with things like wardrobe styling and hair & makeup. Breanna, Bryce and Mia had a blast and of course it was a treat for their families too. We designed holiday cards out of the photos and they’re available for sale.

You should totally buy a box (in addition to your family photo holiday cards that I know you’re planning on sending out). Give them to your boss, work pals and colleagues. Proceeds go right back to making more wishes come true!

Get yours here while they last: hudson.wish.org/2011/10/13/holiday-cards

Charity choosing tip: Some charities are more ‘giving’ than others, with different portions of your donation going directly to the cause versus things like administration and fundraising, etc. Find out more about how your favorite cause stacks up here: http://www.charitynavigator.org.

Now go get your give on and share your story with us below.

Leila is a NYC kids lifestyle photographer who writes a monthly blog called Foto Shui – make your photos flow.