As the holidays roll around, many of us look toward giving to those less fortunate.

According to a recent study, over 30 percent of all charitable giving last year occurred in December, which is why our mailboxes have been filled recently with requests for donations.

The Giving USA Foundation publishes national estimates on giving by individuals, foundations, bequests and corporations. You may be surprised to learn that 75 percent of all giving is by individuals.

There’s an emotional aspect as to why individuals account for such a large percentage of donations: As humans, we think about others and want to have an impact on the world around us.

There are many great causes and work that fill important needs. Here are five great reasons you or your business might want to give local this holiday season.

1. With a local charity you can be directly and personally involved with your cause. Pick up the local paper and see who needs help right now, where a small amount of money can immediately make a significant difference in someone’s life. You will know how the dollars are being used, you know who is being helped, you will feel good, and you will solve an immediate problem.

2. Local charities generally have low marketing costs, which is why you don’t see them on television or with big, flashy ads in magazines. When you donate a dollar to a local charity, a large percentage of it (almost always over 85 cents) is used directly to impact the cause.

3. Local charities are often small and nimble. There are no layers of bureaucracy found at many large charities, so you know that every dollar is being put to work exactly the way you want it to be.

4. Your donation is never too small to make a difference. Even smaller donations have the potential to drastically improve an individual’s quality of life right in your own community.

5. Local charities often work not on a Band-Aid approach, but on finding a longterm solution to solve the problem that necessitated their mission in the first place.

The phenomenal impact being made by small charities on local communities is truly uplifting. Yet many such charities struggle for donations, despite the worthiness of their selfless intentions.

They spend huge amounts of time applying for grants and often have no budget at all to spend on generating future donations through marketing or advertising.

There’s something special about knowing that your $25 donation has made at least $24 worth of difference that you can see, whether it’s food for a homebound senior, a blanket for a local homeless person, or care by a local organization for someone at end of life.

Consider giving local this holiday season. Your community needs your support, and it will make you feel great.

YOU’VE GOT OPTIONS

Here are just a few of the local nonprofits to consider contributing to this holiday season:

• Cancer Support Community
• Community Conscience
• Conejo Free Clinic
• Hospice of the Conejo
• LSS Community Care
• Manna, the Conejo Valley Food Bank
• Many Mansions
• Senior Concerns
• Westminster Free Clinic