The definition of charity is the giving of help to those in need who are not related to the giver. The word generates 64,500,000 results in Google but how many of us actually give to good causes, and how many give nothing? Are we plagued by guilt at not doing enough or do we assume the homeless man in the street is there through his own fault?

Either way, there is a lot more we could be doing, and now that we’re unemployed in the middle of the recession, we finally have the time. By helping those less fortunate than ourselves we are actually helping ourselves – giving does feel good and surely if we can help in some way, we are morally obliged to?

However, being made to feel that we ought to donate our time or money can actually make us more reluctant. We are bombarded by emails from colleagues asking for sponsorship for various sporting activities. Many of us automatically look the other way when an overtly perky person with a fundraising vest tries to catch our gaze. If someone feels pressured into giving, isn’t the whole concept of charity lost? Many people that are currently out of work have considered volunteering schemes, but with some of the international versions costing over £2,000 for just a few weeks work, it is not a viable option. But, doing something charitable has never been easier or more beneficial if you’re more realistic about it.

One of the best ways to instill some charity into your life is by volunteering in your spare time and Europe has more volunteer schemes than almost anywhere in the world. 22 million people throughout the UK
currently invest their time and energy each year. And it’s good for you – a survey by Volunteering England found that 63 per cent of 25-34 year olds say volunteering helps them feel less stressed, while 71 per
cent say it helps combat depression. In this climate of widespread financial uncertainty, helping each other has never been more relevant. Nearly 90 per cent of the network of 350 Volunteer Centres in England have reported an increase in the number of people who have lost their jobs during the recession and are looking to volunteer as a way of increasing their skills and keeping job-ready.

We are quickly becoming one of the most charitable continents with The European Commission proposing that 2011 be designated the “European Year of Volunteering”. There’s even a new trend for charitable weddings emerging, with John Lewis, the UK’s most popular store for wedding gift lists, launching a new scheme where couples can ask their wedding guests to make a donation to their chosen charity instead of buying a traditional present.

Whichever way you choose to donate, many people still don’t bother as they assume the small amount they can afford will be too insignificant to make a difference. This is simply not the case. Peter Singer’s book, The Life You Can Save, outlines the fundamental principle that if you can afford to buy a bottle of water, then you can afford to contribute to ending world poverty. More than one billion people struggle to live each day on less than many of us pay for a soft drink. They can’t even afford the most basic human rights like clean drinking water, and die from easily-treatable illnesses such as diarrhoea. It’s this realisation that shows every one of us that we can make a big difference without making too big a dent in our pockets. Imagine if once a week you gave your afternoon latte a miss and donated the money to a human rights charity. Would you really mind missing that one coffee or would you rather save a couple of lives in Uganda?

Often what matters most is putting your heart into it – find a charity or voluntary scheme that means something to you. Or if you don’t have a specific option in mind, find out what charities there are in your local area – you will then be helping your own community. If you fancy a bit of adventure, Europe is a mine of interesting volunteering options. You could work on a wildlife conservation, an archaeological excavation or even restore an ancient building or church. Europe’s top sustainable and responsible tourism programs offer exciting opportunities to travel and help at the same time.

Get involved! Being charitable makes you realise what you have, makes you forget about all the trivial things you don’t need and gives you a much longer lasting feeling of satisfaction than a bottle of Merlot after a day at the office. For the individuals whose lives are touched by volunteers or donations, the impact is life changing.