What inspires you to give? How do you want to make a difference in the world? Answering questions like these is the first step toward writing a charitable mission statement. Doing so can be a powerful way to make your giving more meaningful—both for your personal fulfillment and for the people and communities you're working to support.

What is a charitable mission statement?

A charitable mission statement is typically one to three sentences that puts the purpose of your giving into words. Your values, life experiences, interests, and close relationships can all play a role in helping you decide what your mission is. “A charitable mission statement is designed to crystallize what is most important to you in your giving,” says Elaine Martyn, vice president and managing director of the Private Donor Group at Fidelity Charitable. “It's one of the best and easiest ways to make giving more fun, more focused, and more effective.” Here are four reasons why creating a charitable mission statement is important.

1. It gives your giving focus

We all have many things that we care about, and there are many charities that we could potentially support. But by identifying what you care about most, you are better able to decide where to focus your time and financial support. “Just like any other aspect of your life, prioritizing helps you be more successful,” Martyn says. Rather than scattering resources across many areas, which dilutes the impact of your support, you can achieve something meaningful.

2. Having a mission is energizing

Putting your mission into words can strengthen your connection to it, says Martyn. “It's much more fun to give when you know you are actually doing something purposeful with your giving.” Having a purpose is motivating and inspires you to take concrete steps to achieve your vision. For example, if your top priority is to help the homeless, perhaps you'll contact the local homeless shelter to learn more about what they need most or seek to become more informed about what is the most effective way to help homeless people.

3. It helps you decide when to say “no”

With so many year-end appeals, mailed solicitations, and requests from friends and colleagues, there's always another worthy cause to give to. Your mission statement can help you filter these requests through the lens of what's really important to you. Martyn recommends following an 80/20 rule for requests from friends, families, or other situations that just come up. “You can set aside some funds to support the things that are important to others you care about or to respond to a situation that really moves you,” she says. “But reserve the bulk of your giving for the things that really matter to you.”

4. You can make a greater impact over time

With your mission statement as your guide, it becomes possible to set actionable goals for what you would like your giving to accomplish over the next five years, ten years, and beyond. You'll be able to zero in on not only the organizations you truly want to support, but also how you might want to support them. For example, if your mission is to advance the arts, instead of sending general support to your university, you might support the studio arts program or a project that brings visiting artists to campus to meet with students and create new work.

Over time, you'll start to see your vision being realized. And giving is always more rewarding when you know your contributions are producing real results, both for the organizations you care about and the problem or issue you want your giving to help solve.

Taking the first step

Ultimately, a charitable mission statement is intended to help you make the most of your giving. It's a reflection of your values that can anchor your efforts and keep you on track toward your goals. “The important thing is to just get something down in writing,” Martyn says. “You can always evolve it over time. But most people are amazed at the way just going through this simple exercise really transforms how they feel about their giving for the better.”

Taking part in charity is good for your mental health because it releases happy chemicals in your brain, including dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin. Not only will you feel good knowing you’re helping someone, you will also feel good sharing a bond with the people who are taking part in the activity by your side, be it a friend, team-mate or your manager. Being happy also means being less stressed, which is great for your emotional well being as well as your physical health.

2 Get fit

Many charity fundraising events centre around a physical challenge, like walking, cycling or taking part in team sports. Training for the big day is one of the best ways to get fit. Cardio-related exercises generate loads of happy chemicals, and getting your daily dose of vitamin D in the sunshine is an added bonus. So if you think you need a little more physical activity in your day, knowing you’ll be helping someone in the process is the biggest incentive you could ask for.

3 Make social connections

Taking part in a charitable event can give you a sense of belonging and purpose because it allows you to meet and connect with like-minded people. Making new friends becomes easy when you share similar interests. So if you’re doing a walk-a-thon to raise money for a not-for-profit organisation, you already have two things in common with the other participants – walking and giving back to the community. It won’t take long to find other shared interests that will allow lasting friendships to flourish.

4 Learn new skills

Taking part in a fundraising activity is a great excuse to get into a hobby you’ve considered before but haven’t gotten around to attempting. Whether it’s learning to decorate for a bake sale or honing your kayaking skills – there's lots of activities to consider. If you volunteer your time to a charitable organisation, you can also brush up on admin skills as well as marketing, copywriting, event management, and financial planning, to name just a few.

TAKE PART IN A FUNDRAISING EVENT

5 Make professional connections

Doing volunteer work and taking part in fundraising can lead to professional development. You may end up meeting your next employer or making a connection that can open doors and lead to unexpected career paths. You may also discover a new skill or interest that you’d like to pursue professionally. Plus, by taking part in workplace giving with your colleagues, you will strengthen your bond with them, learning new skills and sharing your own knowledge, as well as finding new avenues for collaborative projects.

5 reasons why taking part in charity is good for you, the business

Aligning with a charity can also increase a brand’s reputation, uplift staff acquisition and increase profits by strengthening customer trust and loyalty.

1 Attract the cream of the crop

Today, people are more socially aware and take an active approach to being more ethical in all aspects of their lives, including where they work. If you want to attract top talent to your team, having a workplace giving program in place will help your talent acquisition team find you the best employees for the job.

2 Engage and retain employees

Companies with a high attrition rate waste a lot of money and time training new staff. If you want to improve your employee turnover rate and retain them for longer, it’s important to engage with them by creating a workspace that is inclusive and nurturing. An easy way to do this is to take part in a fundraising event with your entire team. Not only will doing this allow everyone to bond in an out-of-office environment, it will also show them that you care about the social issues and are willing to support worthy causes.

3 Boost staff morale

The easiest way to boost staff morale is to create a great work culture where employees can thrive and do some of their best work. You can do this by choosing to support a worthy cause, giving your staff a sense of purpose and belonging so that they don’t see their job as just a nine-to-five office stint that they have to endure in order to go out and live their real life. Working for your company will become one of the most satisfying aspects of their day, encouraging them to perform at their peak and stay loyal to your brand.

PHOTO: Perry Grone

4 Uplift your brand recognition

Partnering with a charitable organisation like The Fred Hollows Foundation is a great way to create goodwill for your brand. Not only will you gain the respect and loyalty of your employees, you will also benefit from customer loyalty too. By building your brand’s reputation as a socially conscious corporation that cares for the community it operates in, you will also expose your brand to new audiences.

5 Fulfill your corporate social responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), also known as the triple bottom line, shows that corporations have a degree of responsibility for the economic, social and environmental implications of their economic activity. Fulfill your CSR successfully by supporting a charitable organisation that is committed to alleviating the suffering of people struggling due to economic, social or environmental pressures.

5 ways your business can get involved in charity work

1 Fundraise for a not-for-profit organisation

Taking part in a fundraising activity as a corporation is an excellent way to engage with your staff and boost employee morale. Not only is it a great team bonding exercise for your team, it will also help boost your image with your clients and partners. Share fun photos from your fundraiser on your website or social channels to cement your company as a socially responsible member of the community it serves.

2 Give in-kind donations

In-kind gifts and vouchers are always welcome, and are a great way to get goodwill for your company and build brand recognition in the wider community. At The Foundation, we have a number of community fundraising events where prizes can be used to boost fundraising effectiveness. Get in touch with us if you’d like to know how you can help.

Please note that in-kind donations are not tax deductible.

3 Offer your venue or your time

NGOs like The Fred Hollows Foundation often host events and functions to raise money to help with charitable endevours, such as restoring sight to people in under-resourced and remote areas in Australia and the world over. If you would like to lend a helping hand and provide The Foundation the use of your venue in Sydney or Melbourne, please let us know.

4 Corporate fundraising

A number of businesses around Australia and the world choose to donate a percentage of their proceeds to charities like The Foundation as part of the corporate social responsibility.

For instance, a restaurant or cafe might decide to donate their tips to The Foundation to restore sight. Big corporations may even become a major corporate partner and sponsor events like the Fred Hollows Humanity Award.

Gabi Hollows with the NSW recipients of The Fred Hollows Humanity Award, 2019 | Photo credit: Michael Amendolia

5 Workplace giving

Workplace giving allows you to make small, regular donations to The Fred Hollows Foundation directly from your pre-tax pay. It is a simple, low cost and effective way to help people who need your support the most.

Why is charity work important?

Society and governments aren't set up to protect everyone who needs it. That's why charities are here to fill the gaps and provide dedicated resources to help the most vulnerable. For children, they rely on their parents or carers to give them safety, guidance, and access to life's necessities.

Why do you want to work for charity?

You get to make a difference ' Charities have a very clear sense of purpose. It's often laid out in a strong mission statement that aims to drive change and make the world a better place. It can be very rewarding to share in this sense of purpose.

What role does charity play in your life?

Studies have shown that giving to charity can reduce stress, boost happiness, and increase self-esteem. So next time you consider donating, remember that it's not just the recipient who will benefit from your kindness. Giving can also have a positive impact on your own life.

Why is it important to give to charity?

It feels good to help others Studies show that charitable giving has a positive impact on happiness. When we know we're contributing to those in need, helping people stay safe and healthy, or giving another person (or animal) a positive outcome, we tend to feel better about ourselves.