This is a guest post courtesy of Bill Hazelton.  He is the founder of CreditCardAssist.com, a firm that advises consumers and small business owners on the perils and pitfalls of the credit card industry.  He’s been cited in publications like the New York Post, the San Francisco Chronicle and more.  Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

The Occupy Wall Street movement is all the rage these days.  The young, the disenfranchised and – occasionally – the attention-seeking are setting up camp in cities around the country and staging mass protests against corporate greed and “the 1%” of Americans that control 40% of the country’s wealth.

But while these rallies draw attention to the big cities in which they’re hosted, small-town America, which is what the OWS movement is ultimately fighting for, is crumbling before our eyes.  Anyone who’s really committed to revitalizing the country should therefore consider reinvesting their efforts where they’re needed most.  Here are five places that need to be occupied way more than Wall Street:

1. American Factories.  Despite being the focus of Levi Strauss’s “We Are All Workers” marketing campaign, the town of Braddock, PA has been withering away after steel-mill outsourcing reduced its population from 20,000 to under 3,000.  It’s not the only city suffering from factory shutdowns.  According to the Federation of Labor Organizations, more than 2.5 million manufacturing jobs have been lost due to outsourcing since 2001.  A renewed focus on domestic manufacturing would help to reclaim these jobs that were given away to cheap laborers in China and India, thereby reducing the unemployment rate and stimulating the economy through increased exports.

    

2. Detroit.  Detroit needs some help – and not just from Robocop.  The mass emigration from the city following the collapse of its famous auto industry has reduced the city from a sprawling metropolis to what artists and travel agencies have taken to calling “urban ruins.”  Even though Detroit currently hosts its own Occupy movement, it desperately needs new residents to work jobs, take part in its many urban-renewal projects and help restore the Motor City to its former glory.

    

3. Nursing Homes.  The baby boomers are now starting to retire to nursing homes and assisted living communities, but a pressing lack of nurses in rural and urban areas has left many elderly citizens without the care they need to survive.  Although the young and unemployed OWS protesters might be hesitant to jump into a job working with senior citizens, they should remember that healthcare isn’t just a virtuous line of work – it’s also a profitable one.  The golden boomer generation currently controls 80% of the country’s personal assets, and millions of them will be investing these assets in nursing care.

    

4. Leveled Forests.  America’s natural resources are being depleted faster than ever before.  Through fracking, domestic oil drilling and deforestation we’ve reduced the wild, uninhabited American frontier to 5% of what it was 200 years ago.  The fact that we’re totally destroying our ecosystem isn’t even the worst part, though.  At the rate we’re consuming oil, food, wood and metal ore, there’s a very real chance that we’ll completely run out of these resources in the next 50 years.  In order to preserve our way of life, Americans need to focus on developing sustainable sources of energy as well as replanting and nurturing the forests that we’ve leveled in the pursuit of resources.

    

5. Grocery Stores.  Twenty years ago, no state in the country had an obesity rate over 15%.  Today, two out of every three states have an obesity rate that’s pushing 40%.  As a country we’re fat, and fast food is our downfall. We’re pouring billions of dollars annually into an industry that rewards us with rampant diabetes, heart disease and other obesity-related health conditions.  It’s time for Americans to take a stand.  Bring back locally owned grocery stores, family dinners and regular grocery shopping. Choosing grocery stores over fast food will help stimulate the economy and trim a few inches off of the American waistline and that’s something every citizen can be happy about. 

The Occupy Wall Street movement has brought attention to financial injustice in America.  But why stop there?  As responsible Americans, we should be occupying the places that matter – the places that have suffered from our crumbling infrastructure, our vanishing natural resources and our struggling economy.  If we do, we might actually be able to bring about the change we want to see in the country.

This article, 5 Places that Need to Be Occupied, Wall Street Style was originally published by DollarVersity, and may have been used without the owner's permission.

In difficult economic conditions, every client and every dollar counts even more than usual.  People are seeing their homes going into foreclosure, companies are laying off employees, municipalities are going bankrupt all across the country.  After school and community youth programs are disappearing due to lack of funding and support.  Public services such as police and fire departments are even on the brink of being consolidated in many areas in order to save money.  While many would say that this is a bad time to market and promote yourself or business, it is, in reality, a perfect time to do that, and help in your community as well.

There are a great many people who are of the opinion that doing something for nothing is poor business practice, and that if you give away your service that it means that you don’t value it (therefore potential clients won’t value it either).  These beliefs cannot be further from the truth.  In reality taking on a small project for the sake of helping another, or lending your time and expertise for a local charity says much more.  Doing so shows that you are a member of the community, and that you (and your business) care about that community and are willing to forgo profits to not only help others, but to aid in improving the community as well.  Something as small as a medical practice sending doctors to volunteer at a free clinic, any business helping to rebuild homes damaged by natural disasters, or an accountant or lawyer helping a community center or little league set up the bylaws or find funding are just a few examples of such acts.

Donating time and expertise may not immediately affect the company’s bottom line, but what it will do is show people that not all companies put profits before those in the area that the business exists in.  Doing so will help build trust and goodwill with neighbors who are always potential clients.  Perhaps free positive publicity or PR will follow, which is always a benefit to any business.  Even without such broad-reaching attention, word of mouth may carry the company name far enough and to enough people to spread the word of an involved business that takes the time to give back.  At the very least, it creates a great opportunity to network with other community members.

Down the road, when conditions improve and people are in a better position to become clients, they will already have a positive view of the company.  A positive general image combined with giving back to the community are two sure-fire ways to attract and retain clients.  This can all be accomplished at any time regardless of economic climate or without reason other than simply because people are in need and it would be the right thing to do.

Do you think it’s counter-productive to do pro bono work or give products away?  If you ran a business, would you give products or services for free in an effort to not only build goodwill but also to help the less fortunate?

Photo Credit: © All rights reserved by Moving Pictures 2006

This article, Create Goodwill And A Positive Image By Helping Others was originally published by DollarVersity, and may have been used without the owner's permission.

If you are like me, you want to give back to the community and help others, but have more than a little trouble just giving your money to an organization not knowing where the money is being used.  In some cases, you simply want your donations to serve a specific purpose.  Sometimes, getting an answer on how your donation is being used is like speaking in symbols.  Some instances are just a matter of not trusting the charity like with several of the American Red Cross’s purported misappropriations of donations, and Alonzo Mourning Charities and other celebrity foundations are spending money flying and putting up their celebrity friends rather than using the money for programs.  In these cases, the news is very disheartening and can cause one to lose trust in those organizations.  Then of course, there are those of you who may have the desire, but not the monetary means to help out, which in this economy is not a very rare thing. Fortunately, there are several other ways to help others without ever touching your checkbook or wallet.

 
Donating unused or unwanted items 

I can’t imagine anyone not having a kitchen cabinet, closet, garage, or even a storage unit that has “stuff” just sitting there collecting dust.  Homeless shelters can use clothing, bedding & bath, and kitchenware in addition to donations of canned goods.  Libraries are always welcoming donations of books, and toys (they sometimes take non-educational ones as well) as are local schools.  The Salvation Army, Goodwill, AmVets, and many others will take everything mentioned above as well as household goods, sporting equipment.  If your kid outgrows his clothes, and you don’t know anyone who can use the hand-me-downs, why not give them to a shelter so that a child doesn’t have to walk around in rags.  If your diet is working really well and you lost so much weight that your clothes don’t fit, why not give them to a second-hand store so that people with less means can get some use out of them.  Look in your closet: does everyone really need all those shoes and sneakers? Give them away so someone else can enjoy the comfort of having something soft between their feet and the concrete.

Giving your time

This is perhaps the most valuable and welcome thing that you can give to another.  There are so many options that it’s staggering to think that some people can just sit on a couch all day doing nothing when they can be out bringing a smile to someone’s face.  There are just so many ways to help others, it should be easy to find something that you can do.  Just off the top of my head, I can come up with:
 

• Serve meals at a soup kitchen
   
• Visit a retirement community and spend time with the elderly who have no family
   
• Volunteer at your local sports complex working the vending areas, coaching kids’ sports teams, or helping to maintain the grounds
   
• Join Habitat for Humanity and help build homes for those that cannot afford them
   
• Partner with the United Way or Make-A-Wish Foundation and help make a sick child’s dream come true
   
• Get involved at your local library or with the school district and volunteer to help people learn to read
   
• Volunteer at a local hospital
   
• Volunteer at the local ASPCA or animal shelter–the furry ones need some love too
   
• Go to your place of worship and simply tell them that you want to volunteer for whatever they have going on
   
• Sign up to be a Big Brother or a Big Sister and influence the life of a youngster
   

With any of these endeavors, you will make an immediate impact on someone’s life.  Sometimes, all it takes is seeing their eyes light up or the smile that comes across their face when they see that someone is actually taking the time to visit, help, or teach to make it all worthwhile.

Donate your services

Are you a doctor or nurse practitioner who has a little time to donate toward helping people at the free clinic or your place of worship. Maybe you are a tax preparer or accountant who can offer to donate some time to help the less fortunate get their taxes done.  Barber, hairstylist, nail tech or other beauty industry worker?  The homeless shelters and job placement services for the homeless and veterans are in need of help getting their patrons cleaned up and presentable. Teachers are needed to help with adult reading and ESOL programs all over the place.  There are a multitude of situations where services can be given to those in need.

Of course, you can still take the deduction on your taxes for any mileage driven or certain out-of-pocket costs that are incurred to accomplish your goals when it comes to donating your time.  The deduction is just like cash, though, in that the organization must be an IRS-recognized charity.  As with any tax-related issue you should consult a professional, but if you are a do-it-yourselfer, IRS Publication 526 is where you want to look for guidance.   But, that shouldn’t be the primary reason for helping others. You should genuinely want to do it, to make a difference in the community in which you live and work, and to make an impact on someone’s life. That is what being part of a community is truly about after all…or at least it should be.

I’m sure I missed a number of other opportunities to give back and help others.  Feel free to tell me, and help give others some good ideas on how to make a difference in another’s life.

This article, Better Alternatives To Making Cash Donations was originally published by DollarVersity, and may have been used without the owner's permission.