Giving back to your community is an important aspect of being human. We’re all here together and we may as well help each other thrive. After all, we depend on each other for a functioning society.
For many people, being generous and giving to others is natural. And business owners are also beginning to see the benefits to giving through their corporation.
Both small and large businesses are now incorporating philanthropy into their business model.
People love to give
People enjoy the act of giving to others because it makes them feel good. There is scientific proof to back this up—this act of generosity releases dopamine in the brain, and dopamine is a powerful neurotransmitter that controls the brain’s pleasure and reward centers.
While the way people derive their pleasure from giving can vary, one of the ways people give to others is through donating to charities. According to National Philanthropic Trust, Americans gave $373.25 billion in 2015.
There are many organizations out there fighting for legitimate causes and making a huge impact on the world. One such organization is Kure It, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization “dedicated to raising money for research into rare cancers.”
In search of a cure
When Barry Hoeven, the chairman and founder of US Storage Centers, was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 1998, not much was known about how to treat his rare form of cancer. The lack of funding available for researching rare cancers made the availability of cures scarce.
Determined to change this, Barry embarked on a journey to create an organization to raise money for researching and treating rare cancers. He developed “Kure It,” which has raised over $5,000,000 in funding for various leading research centers.
Kure It’s goal is to “be the leader in granting funds to kidney and other cancer researchers conducting innovative research projects to better treat and ultimately cure kidney and other organ cancers.”
Cancer affects millions of people worldwide
Cancer is a horrible disease that affects the lives of millions of people across the globe. According to the American Cancer Society’s research statistics, there will be 600,920 cancer related deaths in 2017. Of that number, 14,400 are expected to die from kidney cancer.
Research centers depend on receiving large amounts of funding in order to perform their research, and that funding is usually generated by non-profit organizations like Kure It.
Getting customers involved
To help Kure It raise money for cancer research, US Storage Centers has created a program called “Round Up For Research” that gives their customers a chance to round up their monthly rent by fifty cents, which is then donated. The company matches that donation. In fact, the company will match almost any donation they receive.
You can make a difference too
Barry’s courageous journey and the creation of his organization, Kure It, is a perfect example of how a business can make a vast difference in the lives of many people.
Regardless of what business you are in, you have the opportunity to make a difference in the world.
If you want to make a difference but aren’t sure where to start, you can always check out how some of the top Fortune 500 companies are spreading their generosity to get ideas. If creating your own organization sounds like too much work, you can find organizations already supporting the causes you support and donate directly to them. No action is ever too small to make a difference.