In The Giving Prescription: A Personal Plan for Healing Through Helping, author Courtney Clark writes:
“Psychologists have discovered that helping behaviors, like volunteering, donating, and advocating, are often a response to trauma, and that one of the final stages of the healing trajectory is the desire and ability to give back to other people. That shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, since survivorship and philanthropy intersect: In undertaking either, we reveal an underlying desire to make the world a better place, to find equilibrium and a sense of fairness.
Philanthropic actions – like volunteering, donating, serving as an advocate, or starting a foundation – can help survivors find their footing after a traumatic experience. Studies have shown that survivors who participate in giving back recover faster than those who don’t. In fact, the experience of giving back after a life challenge is so helpful that for almost every kind of trauma (illness, loss of a family member, a combat injury while serving in the armed forces, living in a war zone, sexual assault), there seems to be a study suggesting that philanthropy could be helpful in overcoming it. Regardless of what you’ve been through, the benefits of giving back can extend to your psychological, emotional, social, and even physical well-being.”
Our November 2016 Nonprofit Blog Carnival topic was inspired by a conversation with Tom Ahern at the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference. In your posts, I’m asking you to reflect on your own, most personal acts of giving, whether as a donor, volunteer, or as a staff or board member. Why do YOU give, how does it make you FEEL, and how could your experience as a donor be improved upon? Submit your post to the Nonprofit Blog Carnival (nonprofitcarnival@gmail.com) by Friday, December 2nd. And then check back on Monday, December 5th to read the roundup.
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