The Power of Giving Back: How Philanthropy is Changing Lives

Apr 20,2023

Did you know that giving back can actually make your life happier?

We are all here to live the one life that we are given. Living it all to yourself isn't that enjoyable. Imagine going through life, accomplishing things, and celebrating amazing moments - but all by yourself.

How would that feel? Pretty lonely, probably. We as human beings are meant to share accomplishments and celebrations with others.

That's why creating a sense of community and belonging by giving back can actually drastically improve your life. From decreased rates of depression to higher confidence ratings, feeling purpose and belonging can make a huge difference in young adults' lives.

Read on to learn more about what giving back can do for you.

Encourages Empathy

Philanthropy encourages people to be more empathetic toward others. When you are giving back, you are typically helping those that are less fortunate than you are (not always, but many times). But rather than judging their circumstances or looking down on them, giving back with community outreach actually gives young adults the opportunity to understand others more deeply.

When this happens, it makes people more empathic about others' situations. Instead of immediately coming to a conclusion about others, giving back makes us think more deeply about their situations and empathize with them.

Importance of Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand the feelings of others and share that feeling. If someone is feeling sad because a parent dies, showing empathy is a crucial part of being human as well as creating a more caring society.

So what does empathy do?

For starters, it makes it easier to communicate. Instead of having a barricade between people, empathy allows people to understand one another better. We can express our own feelings while also allowing others to do the same.

Instead of judging, there is caring and support given. Because of this, this creates much more positive relationships. Showing empathy toward people allows people to build trust and understanding which are both the basis for a healthy relationship.

Having these healthy relationships can make a huge difference in the everyday lives of young adults as well.

Develop Leadership Skills

Another important aspect of young adults and philanthropy is that it helps to further develop leadership skills.

Philanthropy often involves more than just giving back. While sometimes all we have to do is show up to an event to give back, other times we are much more involved. In those cases, more leadership skills develop.

For instance, philanthropy often involves organizing events, managing different resources and budgets, as well as coordinating activities, times, calendars, and more. By doing this, philanthropy and organizing these events can often help young adults to gain more leadership skills.

Not only will these leadership skills help them when planning philanthropic events, but will also be helpful in their everyday personal and professional lives.

So what kind of skills do young adults learn when doing philanthropy?

As mentioned previously, they'll develop more empathy. However, they will also learn more about collaboration, organization, and leadership.

Learning how to work with others (especially in regard to planning events and collaborating) is crucial to young adults' futures. Once someone enters the workforce, this becomes an everyday thing.

You have to think about how an email may impact someone, how to tell someone that they aren't doing their job right, or how to have any of the other many tough conversations that need to happen.

Planning a charitable event also is not easy. Learning how to take charge and get things done in a timely fashion is extremely beneficial when it comes to young adults' lives.

Opportunities for Networking

You know what they say! It's not about what you know, it is about who you know.

That is where networking comes into play. Knowing people from all walks of life can be extremely beneficial when it comes to getting a job or career. This can be helpful for other aspects of life as well.

When you know a lot of people, you have more opportunities and chances knocking on your door. As a young adult, this is exactly what you want to happen! It can make things a lot easier for you.

When you do philanthropic events, you are getting access to so many different people. You may be meeting other people who love to give back in their free time, such as retirees or owners of companies. You may meet donors who feel passionate about the cause but spend their time doing other things during the day.

When you meet these individuals who are from different backgrounds and industries, you can learn more about your own passions and desires. You never know where meeting someone can take you!

Build a Sense of Community

By giving back to other communities, young adults can gain a sense of belonging. Whether that means belonging with the group that is giving back, the community that they are helping, or both, building a sense of community can have a huge positive impact on mental health.

When we have a connection with others, we are more likely to get their support in whatever we do - whether that is emotional support, logical and practical support, or just more resources and information. Having this community and support system helps young adults overcome challenges and obstacles as they navigate all the newness that this time in their life brings.

This will lead to dealing with less stress and learning how to cope and manage it better.

Not only will having a community help you deal with stress by giving you a support system, but that support system also will improve your mental health. Having a community that supports you and is by your side reduces feelings of loneliness and isolation which are very common risk factors for mental health issues.

In addition, building a sense of community and belonging also has physical health benefits, not just mental health benefits. Those who are socially connected have lower rates of heart disease, stroke, and other illnesses.

This sense of community has a ton of mental, physical, and social benefits for young adults' lives.

Create More Responsibility

When young adults give back with philanthropy, they are doing something for others, not themselves. This type of muscle memory is teaching them to take responsibility for what they are doing - more so than just school and social activities.

Not only are they making this decision that holds a lot more responsibility, but they are also needing to take into account how their decisions and actions affect others. They are not the only ones affected by their philanthropy. They can see the effects that their actions have, and understand and take responsibility for that.

Although it is a good thing to take responsibility for, it demonstrates the impact that they can have on another person.

This understanding can be taken into other areas of their lives so that they understand their personal responsibility in all aspects of their life! This could apply to messing up or making a mistake at some point in life, or it could translate into becoming a parent or a husband or wife to someone.

Learning responsibility by taking action to give back can trickle its way into the other parts of our lives.

Create a Sense of Purpose

We all want a sense of purpose when we are here on this planet. We all want to figure out why we are here and what we are supposed to do with the time we have here.

When we can't figure that out, that's when the statistics of those who are anxious and depressed increase.

Even if you do not know your exact sense of purpose yet, giving back can help you find it. It can also help you feel that you have a purpose - you feel that you are doing more than just living for yourself. You are living for others, too!

People who give back regularly are much happier and more fulfilled than those who do not. They also feel a greater sense of purpose in their lives.

Importance of Fulfillment in Young Adults' Lives

When we start to think about what we want to do with our lives, we often think about what will make us happy. We ask ourselves what we can do that feels right to us. That is because we want to do something that makes us feel whole - something we feel is valuable not only to us but to other people.

This is because life isn't about just us. It is also about our place in life and how we impact others around us.

By volunteering, donating, or doing anything else in terms of philanthropic services, we have a better understanding of who we are and how we fit into this world. This can have an extremely positive impact on young adults' lives and future trajectories.

Better the World

There is a lot going on in the world at any given time - and many of the events that are happening are not good.

However, the good news is that by being more philanthropic, we can actually better the world with one action at a time.

Although we can't change the world overnight, every action that we take in life can change things a little bit at a time. Over time, that can make a huge difference.

Different Types of Philanthropy

When it comes to philanthropic services, there are many different forms that it can take. One person may choose to donate while another person may want to physically volunteer.

Here are a few different types that you can take part in.

Donate

Donating to a nonprofit is one way to show your philanthropy. Whether you want to give $25 or $250 to a charity that you feel passionate about, your contributions make a difference.

The act of donating may not seem like there's a lot behind it, but it can still have an impact on young adults' lives.

Volunteer

Volunteering is the act of helping out with charities in a physical way. Those who volunteer offer their time and services to build community and energy.

Although donating is one way to reap the benefits of giving back, physically volunteering has many more benefits. You are joining a community, seeing the effects, and interacting with others. You are giving your own time and skills to a cause that you care about.

Be an Activist

Social activism is another way to show philanthropy. Although you may not be donating or volunteering your time, being a champion for issues that are happening in your community can make a huge difference.

This could be attending certain events in the community, going to protests or marches, and having discussions around difficult situations.