There are two big questions that everyone who wants to start offering financial support to community organizations has to ask. The first is, “How much am I willing to give?” and the second is, “Who do I want to make a donation to?”

The opportunity to become a philanthropist is not relegated to people with a particular bank balance. Anyone can offer some level of financial support to organizations whose mission and work they care about.

Megan O’Bryan, president of the Tri-C Foundation in Cleveland, noted making a decision about what organizations to support “is about more than just making a contribution, it’s about deciding what matters to me. What are my values?”

“I would start by trying to get curious,” O’Bryan said, adding, “Do some research about various organizations. It is also smart to talk directly to an organization to see what they need.” This type of information will provide you with a more holistic look at what various groups are doing and planning to do.

O’Bryan said, “It is then up to the donor to take that information and decide if they want to spread ten thousand dollars across 10 organizations or make one big investment with one group.”

Brittany Schultz, director of donor impact and philanthropy at the Cleveland Foundation in Cleveland, explained, “It’s important that you get to know an organization.” She suggested that one way to do that is to give smaller, monthly gifts. This helps donors to see how the organization handles donations and helps them to develop a comfort level around the donor engagement process.

Schultz said, ”There is a common (misconception) that organizations have enough funding and donors and don’t need more. Many organizations are providing basic human needs and we have seen those needs increase and the amount of dollars needed to meet those needs is increasing as well.”

When you do give, there are any number of vehicles you can utilize. Those include straight donations, the use of Donor Advised Funds or DAFs, planned gifts, IRA distributions and dedicated “Giving Days,” among others. Within those, Schultz said, “Most organizations will really appreciate unrestricted support.”

That is when a donor marks their donation to be used for essentially whatever the organization needs, she added.

“That type of support helps keep the people who do the work employed,” Schultz said.

Not everyone has the opportunity to make that headline-breaking million dollar donation and that’s OK. Smaller amounts, if given strategically, can quickly grow in scope and impact.

“A lot of organizations have matching challenges,” O’Bryan explained. “Another popular donation vehicle is people using their donation to kick-off a crowd funding campaign.”

Schultz said, “Regular monthly donations can be really helpful. It provides the organization with a reliable source of income each month which can help its sustainability.”

An easy way to get to know an organization and the way that they operate is through their newsletter, Schultz suggested.

“Donors should never make assumptions about what an organization needs,” O’Bryan said. “It’s always important that the gift they want to give aligns with the organization’s mission.”

Noell Wolfgram Evans is a freelance journalist.