Giving is a Wonderful Way to Connect and Make a Difference

There is something special about giving. People gain greater life satisfaction and overall happiness when they give. There was even one study that found that when people donate to a charity it activates certain activity in the brain that is linked to reward processing. I have found that people feel better when they give, see others give, and when they are given to as well. That is pretty incredible.

I have recently started a podcast called Causes for Change. This is a podcast where I talk to nonprofit founders, philanthropists, and others who donate time and talents to charitable causes. I, along with my guests, explore why people give and how we can all be a little more charitable. I talk with these unbelievable guests and get to know them, their stories, and causes.

This opportunity I have created to talk with these amazing people has already been incredibly rewarding. I have posted two episodes so far where I interview another person, and one where I tell my own story, but I have recorded eight episodes as of the date of this article. Being able to talk with these people and get to know their stories has already started to change my perspective in ways I could not have imagined when I decided to start this podcast.

I have talked to people who have started nonprofits, companies, and other social initiatives that are changing the world one person and community at a time. From the arts to sexual assault prevention to a company that helps nonprofits connect with donors I have had the opportunity to learn from some excellent people. I am so grateful that we live in a world with the technology that can help me to connect with these people and record with them from any distance. I have already recorded with someone in Australia while I was in the United States. If I would have wanted to share these stories even twenty years ago, it would not have been as easy or even possible depending on the situation.

This podcast started out as a small wish, that turned into a desire, and eventually turned into a reality. I wanted to share stories and encourage others to help in their communities. My hope is that hearing others’ stories and hearing how easy it can be to serve communities will help the listeners realize that it is possible to help, even if resources and time are scarce.

I want everyone to have the chance to give. It is my hope that people will step out of their own way and do something more. Helping and giving can be as simple as sending an email to a congressperson or posting on social media to raise awareness. These are important acts. Even though it is likely true most causes will need more action eventually, these are good places to start.

Providing service in the world is kind of similar to how I started this podcast. It starts as a small wish. Maybe it is a passion, or something happens in a person’s life that creates a spark of recognition of a problem, and it turns into something more. In episode two of Causes for Change I talked with Brittney Herman, founder of We Will. She had some experience with sexual assault when she was in high school, and then realized she did not want her niece to grow up in a world where she had to be scared of being sexually assaulted, and that is how We Will started. It stated with a small wish, that there would be no more sexual assault, it grew into a desire, and eventually, through a lot of hard work, the organization turned into a reality.

This can happen on a smaller or larger scale as well. A person can have a small wish that their local park was cleaner. Then this wish could grow into a desire. Eventually that desire will be backed by action and that person, and maybe a few others will go clean up the park. Or maybe they could talk to the local parks and recreation organization for the town to help them obtain funding to make the park cleaner and more appealing.

A person like Melinda Gates may have had a small wish to do something with the wealth her and Bill Gates had accumulated. That wish could turn into a desire to help others and even to change the world. Eventually that desire was backed by action and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was created and they have a foundation that is focused on, and changing for the better, global health, global development, global policy and advocacy, global growth and opportunity, and various U.S. programs.

These people discussed above range from one who wants to clean up a park, to one who starts a nonprofit to help educate about and eliminate sexual assault, to one who starts a global foundation that changes global health and development. Each of these causes and efforts are important. That is the purpose of Causes for Change. To show that all of these people matter and are needed.

No matter where a person is at, they can make a difference. No matter what the cause is, it is needed. No matter how many dollars or people are behind a cause, it can still change the world. Working to make the world a better place through charitable giving and service is a noble cause. I simply want to share how people can do that and make their lives, and the lives of those around them, a little bit better and a little bit brighter.

I hope you all can check out Causes for Change and hopefully be inspired to do something more and to move your cause forward. If you do have a cause or want to share what you have been doing to help out your community, please feel free to share that with me. You can reach out to me through the contact page on Education Through Travel’s website or through causesforchangepodcast@gmail.com. You can also check out what is going on with Education Through Travel on Instagram @educationthroughtravel and what is going on with the Causes for Change podcast on Instagram @causes.for.change. I cannot wait to hear from you!