Give a Bit, Get Back a Lot
You want to donate money to your favorite charities, but you don’t make nearly enough to spare the donation. Plus, you don’t want to give away your hard-earned money. But what if the money wasn’t so hard-earned? What if you simply filled out a few surveys, earned money and donated those earnings? You may feel better about donating to your charity of choice if it doesn’t mean going without grocery money for the week. Plus, the donation technically comes from you, not the company that you’re taking the survey through.
How It Works
Many companies will let you sign up and create a user profile for free. Then, you’ll be asked to take surveys, either randomly assigned to you or of your choosing. Depending on the company, you may be asked to fill out personal information so that you’ll be matched with surveys that are best suited for you. With most companies, after you take a survey, a small sum will be donated to your charity of choice or to whatever charity the specific company supports. With other companies, a contribution will be made after you take a certain number of surveys.
Choosing a Charity
Whether you currently have charities that you donate to, a list of charities that you want to start contributing to or no idea of what charity you’d be willing to donate money to, you’re in luck. The charities and types of organizations that you can contribute your survey earnings to are seemingly endless. Whether you’re green-minded, an animal lover or interested in helping children in need, you can find a charity to suit your interests and goals. You can choose from both national and global charities, too.
Not sure which charity to go with? Most survey websites let you view information about individual charities. You can either choose charities that seem to be the most popular or ones that clearly need the extra help. Browse charity profiles to find ones that are best for you to donate to.
Big Donations
Some companies will ask you to take a survey, which will in turn get you entered for a drawing. If your name is chosen, then a large sum, usually of several hundred dollars, will be donated in your name to a specific charity. Sometimes, the company even lets you choose which charity you want to donate to.
Alternatively, some companies offer prizes where a cash prize is split evenly between a panellist and a charity. For instance, if you won a draw worth £10,000, you would receive £5,000 and the charity would receive the other £5,000.
Far-Reaching Benefits
The perks of filling out these surveys goes beyond being a do-gooder. Many companies are actually collecting helpful information, not just for them, but for you, too. For example, some companies take surveys about business issues. You can figure out if you’re earning what’s fair or if you’d do better in your career by relocating overseas. While you’re helping other people by donating your earnings to charity, you’re also helping yourself by providing important information about your industry.
Who Offers Surveys for Charity?
The following panels are affiliated with charities:
Valued Opinions – Opportunity to donate your points to a variety of different charities
Opinion World – Every time you complete a survey, Opinion World automatically makes a donation to the charity of your choosing (selected from a list)
American Consumer Opinion – Opportunity to donate your cash balance to a variety of different charities