It’s fundraising time again.

Wait, isn’t that all of the time? It seems like it.

There are fundraisers for organizations, research foundations, students going on trips, churches going on mission trips, underprivileged children and the list goes on.

With over 1.3 million charities in the U.S., most students find themselves faced with being asked to donate quite often.

While this is a very noble way to spend one’s money, more times than not, college students often can’t spare any change.

“There are definitely those times when I would rather look away or wish I had taken a different route to get around campus because, face it, I make less than $200 per month. However, that is the choice I made and the life I chose as a college kid. Giving to something that can help people who don’t have a choice is a lot better than an extra beer on the weekend,” said Dylan Cooper, a senior atmospheric science major.

There’s a fundraiser for just about everything under the sun, which at least shows that people care about the world and people in it.

Just because a student may be short of change, there are plenty of other ways to help out. Volunteering for your favorite charity or lending a hand to those less fortunate are great alternative ways to helping out. Helping doesn’t always have to mean money.

“I find ways to give back to these charitable organizations through donating my time instead of money. Volunteering is a donation itself,” said Natalie Kern, a sophomore pre-pharmacy major.