Giving Back
‘Tis the Season… Notary Kindness During the HolidaysPublished December 18, 2025
Like everyone else, notaries bustle each year to celebrate the holiday season and prepare for family gatherings, gift-giving and the new year that’s fast approaching.
In this season of thanks and celebration, giving and receiving, perhaps there’s time in your busy schedule to find opportunities within your community to help others by providing notarial services.
Everyone needs a notary at some point in their life. But the less fortunate among us might sacrifice precious household funds to pay for a must-have notarization. Others are housebound due to age or their poor health, and they can’t manage venturing out to find a notary at any of the usual places such as banks and pack-and-ship stores.
We know your time is valuable and the modest fees you receive for your expertise are well-earned. But if there’s room in your budget, time in your schedule, and a desire to spread kindness during this giving season, here are some ideas to consider:
• Arrange to visit a senior center or extended care facility for an hour or so, find a spot with a table and chairs, and perform low- or no-cost notarizations for residents and their families.
• Ask your public library if it would like to host you once or twice monthly, so it can advertise your availability to help. (It might be a great way to encourage more folks to visit their local library.)
• Your local shelter for un-homed people may regularly need notarial services and would welcome your gift of time and expertise.
• Shelter pet adoptions often surge during the holidays… ask if your local shelter needs an extra notary to help out. More pets adopted (thanks to your help) will bring more furry joy to deserving homes.
Finally, ask other notaries about their giving-back practices and ideas.
For example, many notaries regularly give back by providing low- or no-charge notarizations when it seems the customer could use the help. Maybe a notary you know chooses one or two days a month to provide low- or no-charge notarizations in lower-income neighborhoods.
Peer-to-peer conversation about ways to help your community through accessible and affordable/free notarial services will help maximize the effectiveness and impact of your giving.
A final tip… even when you don’t charge for notarizing, you should record every notarial act you perform in a recordbook (journal) of notarial acts such as the All-States Recordbook of Notarial Acts.
It’s the season of giving, and we applaud the many notaries who demonstrate their public spirit and kindness by giving back. Thank you!
Your data is safe with us! (read our privacy and security policy)