HoundsGood: Chronicles of a Virtual Volunteer

Many animal charities have pet food, old towels, and a variety of other things on their wish lists. Those are easy for the general public to procure. What about vaccinations and other supplies or incidentals?

A great idea is to give a few lower denomination prepaid credit cards. This way, an organization can place them in the hands of volunteers for their gas money if the organizations transports pets from shelters to safety. They can also use it to send someone out to get supplies in a pinch. Of course, there are many times when people simply volunteer their time and resources, but sometimes people have time but no resources. With a prepaid credit card, they can put gas in the tank of a volunteer vehicle, or perhaps the organization’s donated van or Spaymobile. This makes it easier for volunteers knowing that they won’t have to be responsible for gassing up a group’s van, especially if they have the time to volunteer because they are unemployed.

The organization will also be able to make purchases online and over the phone. There are some wholesale companies that they may want to get supplies from, but cannot because the organization doesn’t have a credit card, so they end up paying more for things.

Of course, you can also get prepaid debit cards to help you budget. There is no danger of overdraft that way. When you are done you are done. For small organizations and loose bands of volunteers, they provide less red tape. They can simply be handed the card, and just keep track of their receipts versus chasing someone down for a check. It is especially hard if the check writer is a volunteer themselves and are working their “day job” at the moment one needs the cash. Another thing is that it helps a group hold onto the purse strings. It may be tempting to give more volunteers access to the cash, but prepaid cards insure that if someone proves unreliable, they cannot walk away with sensitive information, or very much.

If you are looking for a new idea, and the group you wish to donate to does a lot of pick ups, a prepaid debit in low denominations may be the perfect idea. Of course, a higher denomination is a great auction donation, but they will also do in a pinch for the day to day affairs.

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