I could give you countless reasons to volunteer, donate to charity, or find ways to give back to your community. It looks great on your resume, it can help you gain new skills, and even provide you with some tax breaks. But what if I told you giving back would help make you happier and enrich your life?

Even though donating and volunteering is technically supposed to be about helping others, it’s been proven that the impact isn’t only felt by those on the receiving end. If you’re going through a rough time, or even feeling a little bored or lonely, filling that gap with charity or volunteering may be the exact medicine your heart needs.

People find purpose in many things. For some, it’s through their work. For others, it’s through parenting or their group of friends. But some of us need something more — something deeper and more meaningful than just living our own lives and helping the people closest to us. Often, when we’re looking for something to fill a void, the answer can be found in serving others.

Here are just a few of the proven benefits of volunteering and giving to charity:

• It allows you to connect to your community and the people in it
• You can make new friends and find people with shared interests
• You can improve your social and relationship skills
• You can involve your entire family and make it something you do together
• Helping others has been proven to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and anger
• Research has shown — through measuring hormones and brain activity — that the more we give, the better and happier we feel
• Volunteering increases self-confidence, helps you stay physically active, and can give you a sense of purpose

Getting started

Once you’ve made the decision to find a cause to get involved with, it’s time to start thinking about what you’d like to get out of your involvement.

You’ll want to ask yourself questions like:

• Do I want to give time, money, or both?
• What skills do I have to offer?
• What do I enjoy doing?
• Where can I have the biggest impact?
• Do I want to help in my local community or abroad?

Finding causes where you can have the most impact

Most people want to find a way to give back with impact, and it’s always been our belief that giving to education is the most powerful and impactful thing any individual or business can do. Education is what lifts children out of poverty and gives them the tools and opportunities to break the cycle. Giving toward education impacts generations and entire countries, completely changing the game for families and their communities. When children are given the ability to support themselves in ways their parents never could, the entire world benefits.

Whether it’s time or money you have to give, helping to support the education of the world’s disadvantaged children has the power to impact multiple generations. If you want to contribute to making this world a better place, giving toward children’s education is the way to do it.

One thing we absolutely love is how far we can stretch an American dollar at our school in La Plaine, Haiti. It means that even small financial donations have a MASSIVE impact on the lives of our 138 students.

Here at L’ecole Dinas Mixed, our mission is to provide free education to Haitian children who are eager to learn and gain the skills required to lead healthy, productive lives. Our program shines a light on the poorest country in the Western hemisphere and empowers disadvantaged children to break the cycle of poverty.

Even the small donations have a massive impact.