How being part of Giving Tuesday is good for your supporters’ health and wellbeing

Giving money and time to charity makes a massive difference to our communities, the world we all live in, and the people that directly benefit from the work of the charity. But did you know that being involved in charitable activity is actually also good for the people who give time and money? Let’s take a quick look at some of the ways that being generous has a positive impact for people:  

  • Getting the feel-good factor from giving!

The UK Giving report by Charities Aid Foundation found that 20% of people said that they gave to charity because doing so made them feel good. In their research, ‘Why we give’, published in 2014, 42% of donors in the research said that ‘the enjoyment they receive from giving’ was a key reason why they gave. Why is giving important | Five reasons to give to charity | CAF (cafonline.org)  

  • Volunteering can boost your mental health

Giving your time to help others, whether through formal or informal opportunities, will provide huge rewards for people’s mental health. Studies reported Why Volunteering Is Good For Your Mental Health | Healthy (healthy-magazine.co.uk) show that anxiety sufferers who did altruistic deeds over a four week period – for instance, mowing a neighbour’s lawn – found their condition improved. Other examples show that widowed adults over 50 were much less lonely after committing to volunteer work for at least two hours a week.  

  • Giving money leads to further positive actions

When someone gives money, beyond the feel-good factor they get, they are likely to also go on to take a range of further positive actions. Almost two thirds (63%) said that after donating they took other actions such as talking about causes, volunteering, being aware of their health or wider issues in society. Donating prompts 63% to take further positive action, says Chartered Institute of Fundraising & YouGov research – UK Fundraising. The same research showed that 43% of people change their behaviour or feel more positive after they’ve given to charity.  

  • Being generous is part of what it means to live a good life

What does it mean to live a good life? Well, for many the answer is partly about helping others. The 2019 World Happiness Report, Changing World Happiness | The World Happiness Report, when looking at data on donating to charity and wellbeing from different countries, found that donating money is one of the six strongest predictors of life satisfaction.  

 

There’s a whole range of evidence, studies and data out there – but they all point to the same thing – giving is good for the donor, not just the organisation receiving the money! So for this year’s Giving Tuesday let’s remember that everyone you reach and that gets involved will not only be contributing to great causes, but will be happier, fitter, and likely to take more positive actions in the future.