Giving Back on a Budget

5. Get others to pitch in with you.

Start with your employer. Thousands of businesses match the amount staffers give to charity. About one out of six companies also provide a cash grant to a nonprofit on behalf of employees who donate their time to the cause. So by logging 20 hours for a local Meals on Wheels group, you not only help feed the elderly and infirm but also enrich the coffers of the organization, according to HEP Development, a fund-raising advisory firm based in Leesburg, Virginia.

You can also become a mini marketer for your charity online. The Causes application on Facebook lets users request donations from friends. And on Twitter, it's easy to make your case in a tweet and include a link where followers can donate.

Perhaps the most rewarding way to get friends involved is by creating a "giving circle," a group that decides to get behind a specific cause. After her sister was diagnosed with breast cancer, Tracy Brown, a mom of two who lives in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, started a circle for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure's walkathon, which supports breast-cancer research. "We found 15 women to do it and came up with a plan for raising money." The group, named Phi Mammo Grama, held bake sales and yard sales to raise the $2,300 per person minimum donation for the 60-mile, three-day walk.

Some giving circles are enormous. Impact Austin, which supports education, health, family, and other causes in Austin, Texas, has more than 500 members and a board of directors. To join, you must be female and donate at least $1,000 a year. "It's a big commitment, but I really believe in what they're doing," says Anne Webster, a mother of three from Austin. Visit givingcircles.org to find a group that shares your giving spirit.