Paying it Forward: How to Make an Impact in Your Community

On any given day, you can turn on the news and learn about a new conflict in our local and global communities. The digital age makes it easier than ever to connect with others and learn about society’s biggest challenges. At the same time, as the scale of those challenges increases, it also becomes easier to isolate ourselves with our own concerns. It’s crucial that we resist the urge to hide away or settle for believing we can’t make a difference.

Not only is using your time for good the right thing to do, but there are numerous benefits of doing so. Studies have shown that giving back increases one’s sense of well-being and can also decrease levels of stress. By giving back, you may also discover and nurture a hidden passion or skill. Furthermore, the experience gives you the opportunity to connect with others. People are social creatures with diverse stories who thrive on connections — emotional, social, and physical. When you spend time giving back, you ultimately strengthen the interwoven fabric of community and humanity.

We all have unique capabilities, areas of expertise, and energy that we can devote to a cause. If you’re reading this article, odds are you are someone who has the desire, drive, and capacity to make a special impact. Many people feel they don’t have enough time to serve, aren’t informed enough about a certain cause to have the right to get involved, or believe they need to be wealthy philanthropists to make a difference. That can’t be further from the truth. Whether the beneficiaries of your involvement are yourself, your employer, or your family, you already possess the tools needed to make an impact in your community. Here are four ways to get started.

Educate Yourself

It’s not hard to find out what your community’s biggest needs and challenges are, although it may take time. Odds are, there are a plethora of community organizations and nonprofits in your area that champion causes you care about. Through simple research, you can locate these organizations, read about the work they do, and start getting involved if you want to add your support. Attending community board meetings is another good place to start.

Share Your Skills

“Giving back” sounds like a trite, boring, or expensive activity — but it doesn’t have to be. Being a volunteer can actually be a creative process with lots of flexibility, and there are numerous ways to start. One of the best is donating skills and expertise you already have. For example, if you work in finance, you can spend two hours out of the month at a library or school teaching a course on the basics of financial literacy. If you have tech skills, you can take one day out of your week to teach a course in the STEM field or participate in a career day to share what you know about the field. If you practice law, spend a few weeks out of the year taking on pro bono cases for people from communities that need it the most. Remember to focus on the bigger picture of your work and your purpose. If you aren’t just invested in what you do because of the money, consider how your knowledge can extend beyond the walls of your profession.

Start with Yourself

Compassion can work in funny ways. Sometimes it’s easier to champion causes that don’t have a direct impact on your life than those that involve you in a more explicit way. Before advocating for fairness, equity, or kindness writ large, consider how you show up in your own communities. How do you treat your neighbors, colleagues, and friends? Do you know about and understand the issues that matter to them? If not, are you willing to step out of your comfort zone to do so? Proactively seeking opportunities to understand the struggles others are facing is one way to practice compassion. Seemingly small actions (e.g., holding the door for someone, giving a homeless person cash or a meal, expressing words of appreciation to a loved one or colleague) can have a positive impact on the circles in which you already move.

Discuss Volunteer Opportunities with your Employer

More recently, companies have begun to understand the value and importance of getting involved in their communities. They’ve also come to realize how imperative it is to give their most important assets (their employees) the support, resources, and opportunities to get involved in causes that they care about. For example, Deloitte has done substantial research on employee volunteerism and engagement. Their studies have indicated that creating a culture of volunteerism in the workplace boosts employee morale, enhances the workplace atmosphere, develops employee leadership skills, and improves the public’s perception of their brand. Large corporations, such as Goldman Sachs, have even created programs such as the Community TeamWorks initiative, which empowers Goldman Sachs employees to contribute their ideas and expertise to drive tangible progress in communities where they work and live. If your employer hasn’t already done so, ask upper management or your human resources department about setting up an employee volunteerism program.

Conclusion

Winston Churchill once said, “You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give.” Moving forward, make the commitment to give back to the communities that shaped you into the person that you are today — your families and friends, the neighborhoods in which you were raised, your religious groups, extracurricular associations, and more. These are the communities that need your insight and expertise to move the world forward and make it a better place for generations to come.