An atmosphere of philanthropy is vital to a society in which people care for and respect one another. The act of giving to charities is instrumental in the development and nourishment of such a philanthropic atmosphere. This is because charity is the most genuine expression of a true and selfless desire to help one another. This article aims to examine exactly why charity is so socially important and why it would also be extremely beneficial to you, specifically, to begin giving to charity whenever you are able to do so.
Why You Should Be Giving to Charity
There are a number of reasons why you should give to charity, most of which seem to have some connection to a broader sense of social responsibility.
The best way to understand this concept of social responsibility is through the adage “a rising tide lifts all boats.” The sentiment behind this saying is that a rising economy will be beneficial for all participants, as they find themselves wealthier overall. This concept seems to hold true for social action as well. Positive social action will create change that everyone can benefit from, even those not engaged in actively causing the change. This is the basis of social responsibility. The social value gained from giving to charity will have far-reaching benefits, which sounds fantastic until you consider the fact that, in the last year, charitable donations in the U.S. have reduced.
There are a number of reasons why this might be, but the bottom line is without the necessary donations, charities cannot undertake any of those brilliant social actions that have the potential to lift all boats, so to speak. This is why it is important that you give to charity whenever you can.
The Benefits of Giving to Charity
Social action aside, there are many, many benefits to donating to charity. In fact, among the myriad of positive effects of donating money to charity, there are quite a few benefits that apply directly to the donator.
-
Health
One benefit of giving to a charity that you may not have considered is that charitable donations actually boost your health. In a 2014 paper, it was found that regular charitable donations can actually be linked to a better quality of health for a number of reasons:
Stress Reduction
The act of giving can cause a reduction in stress in the person doing the giving. Stress is severely detrimental to both mental and physical health, which means that any activity that reduces stress is going to be beneficial to your overall health.
Strengthens Immune System
Additionally, it was found that regular charitable giving can be linked to an improvement in your immune system, which itself is quite beneficial to your health. When combined with the reduction in stress, you are far less likely to become ill and will, in general, feel better.
These health benefits result in better general health and also a longer life expectancy, so you could say that giving to others can literally cause you to live longer.
Make a Big Impact
One of the biggest benefits of giving to charity is that you can make a massive difference and impact people’s lives in numerous ways.
-
Keep yourself and others protected
Depending on the charity you choose, your time or money could make a huge difference in how protected you and others are. For example, The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies is an organization dedicated to the protection of national security. They believe that such security should center on military and political power. Established in the wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001, the FDD’s research and advice are vital to many aspects of the nation’s security and safety. This such a worthy and instrumental charity that it is incredibly important that they continue to get the support that they need to continue in their mission to protect the national security of the United States. By donating to a charity, you are making a massive impact on the local community and the country as a whole.
-
Motivate friends, family, and children
Sometimes the things we do can have a far greater impact than we can imagine. Giving to charity could go onto have a chain effect on those around you, promoting generosity as a trait that your children go on to develop as a result, for example. Friends and family members might be motivated by your decision to be so dedicated to a cause and follow suit, too.
There is more than one way to donate
Donating financially can help support the efforts of your chosen charity to allow them to carry on doing their amazing work, but one great aspect of giving to charity is that you don’t just have to donate money. There are plenty of other ways that you can help, including:
Volunteering and word of mouth
Goodwill and word of mouth are instrumental to charitable endeavors, but if you find yourself loving a certain charity, then you can choose to get involved with the charity. Charities want like-minded people to help them with their goals of safeguarding national security or providing shelter or food to people. If you want to get involved in helping charities, then you should have a look at their listings for jobs and internships.
Financial Perks
Aside from helping others and improving your health, there are a few perks of giving to charity, including:
- Deduct taxes
Along with the many health benefits of charitable giving, you can actually deduct your donations from your taxes. This means that you not only boost your own health by giving to charity, but you also have the potential to boost your financial status while helping those in need. In fact, the U.S. Coronavirus Bill includes a $300 tax break for charitable giving, making charity in 2020 more beneficial than ever.
- Helps your Financial Organizing skills
Finally, planning for consistent charitable giving will help you to practice organizing your finances and allow you to practice the art of becoming more fiscally responsible. This is an important skill to hone, and any opportunity to allow you to practice financial planning should be a welcome thing indeed.
