If you want to have a significant impact on the people close to you, your community, or even the world, becoming more generous is a wonderful place to start. And the good news is, generosity doesn’t have to cost you a ton of money. There are more ways to be generous than just giving a donation. And even though you shouldn’t give just to receive, there are a few benefits to becoming more generous.

Health Benefits of Generosity

Studies have shown that giving improves our mood even more than receiving or spending money on oneself. Deep down, when you give to someone who truly needs it, you feel good because you know that you’re putting out good energy. It also feels great to give as a gesture of gratitude or admiration. In addition to the mood boost, research demonstrates that giving also has health benefits.

Whether you contribute money, time, support, objects, or a simple act of kindness, giving is correlated with lower blood pressure and decreased stress.

Bonuses of Generosity in Business

Aside from the health benefits, being a generous business owner has its perks, too! One measure of success in business is the ability to infuse humanity and generosity into any relationship you build. When teammates and customers genuinely care about their business, it receives support and advocacy from those individuals. This level of investment from the workers and clients is boosted even more if they feel connected to the owners of the business. The most successful businesses thrive when they focus on the happiness and satisfaction of their team and their customers. If you’re willing to give your clients and team members the attention and care that they need, they’ll become passionate about the growth of the business.

Giving in Life

To begin giving more frequently, start with small gestures. Give a compliment to a stranger (or a friend). Support your favorite local business with a gleaming review or by spreading positive publicity about their goods and services. Pray for someone or send them your love. Show someone gratitude in the form of verbal recognition: “Thank you so much for everything you’ve done.” Let them know just how thankful you are and what kind of impact they have had on your life.

Use this list to take your generosity a step further:

• Gather up old clothes, shoes, or items you don’t use, and donate them to a shelter, organization, or church.
• Bring treats to your next team meeting or give treats to the people of your neighborhood (make sure to include an ingredients list for people with allergies).
• Volunteer at a local fundraiser, shelter, church, or community enhancement project.
• Give your time to a family member, friend, or teammate if they need assistance. Everybody knows that time is valuable, so spending yours helping someone shows how much you care.

If you’re in a place to help someone on a larger scale, do it. The best kind of generosity is the kind that appeals to your values and humanity. That type of generosity will warm someone’s heart and truly make you smile. If we can all be generous on a human level and watch out for one another, this world will be far better off.

Best Practices for Giving as a Business

There are several ways to build generosity into your business model! Show team members you care by being accountable and showing up no matter what, even if it means driving the miles, or getting on an airplane, regardless of how you feel. Actions like this demonstrate what it means to have a servant’s heart. Your team will learn from your example and begin to pay that generosity forward. You’ll also infuse generosity into your business model by including all teammates in your business’ mission and goal. Make them feel involved and instill your passion for your business into their hearts, too.

Get in the habit of giving new product freebies to return clients, new clients, and high-performing team members. Let them know that you appreciate their patronage and/or their hard work and dedication to your business. Give out these gifts randomly, quarterly, around holidays, or in whatever frequency you see fit. Make the gesture even more personal by obtaining your clients’ and employees’ birthdays and sending them birthday gift baskets!

As a team, try giving back to your community. If you have the resources and time available, take a half-day or full day to volunteer. Find a local nonprofit organization and dedicate time to help them out. It doesn’t matter where you decide to volunteer, but make sure it’s an organization whose mission and message you can stand behind.

Give How You Choose

Any form of generosity will improve your life and the lives of those around you. So, choose to give in whatever way you see fit, but do it strictly out of love and kindness, without the hope of getting anything in return. When you give, others give, and that same impact continues to snowball. Be generous, knowing that helping one person might actually mean helping many.

If your favorite form of generosity is giving gifts, but you don’t think you’re the best gift giver, consider putting a little more thought into your presents. Check out our blog for “3 Ways to Be a Thoughtful Gift Giver”.