Giving with a joyful heart to others and ourselves has a powerful impact on our universal wellness. And, giving comes in many forms, from charity work and volunteering to gifting teachers, babysitters, clergy, maintenance folks, and others that make your life easier. Discover how being a cheerful giver, sharing good works and abundance is at the heart of where charity and love prevail.

Joyful Giving Meaning
Also called cheerful giving or happy giving, this enthusiastic attitude behind giving arises from the recognition that everything a person has is a gift to be contributed generously, freely, and joyously to others. The absence of a reluctant, grudging approach is the point of difference. Giving from your heart because you sincerely want to instead of feeling you must or making donations because you are moved to do so, not just for the write-offs, is the true meaning of joyful giving.

Why Giving Is Important
Giving has many benefits, including happiness, connection, wellness, and gratitude.

• Why giving is better than receiving for happiness – Daily giving is found to elicit joy in the giver. Studies prove that volunteering boosts happiness not only in the recipients, but also in the givers! When we are able to bestow our gifts, in whatever form, the feeling that we can positively impact another’s life is priceless. And once you experience this rewarding benefit of giving, you’ll want to give even more.
• Why giving enhances connection – When we give back, we feel like a vital part of the community and more connected with those around us. And giving comes with a wonderfully contagious side effect. When we observe others giving and how happy it makes them and the recipients, it serves as a catalyst, making us think about causes we care about and reminding us to give more, too.

It sets a fabulous example for our children, modeling for them how their actions can positively influence the world around them. You can even involve your extended family to make giving back a group effort, strengthening your family bond.

• Why giving is good for your health - Being joyful when giving not only warms the heart and brings personal contentment, but may be the secret to a long, fulfilling life. Giving to others with joy has an indirect benefit of providing wellness to ourselves as follows:
• When we do something nice, our brains secrete serotonin and dopamine, “feel good” chemicals found to produce a “helper’s high” that boosts moods and mental wellness, while diminishing pain.
• Giving is proven to reduce the stress hormone cortisol tied to stress and improve immunity and overall well-being. It also keeps blood pressure in check and supports heart health.
• How giving promotes gratitude – When we bestow others with gifts or good works and interact with those who haven’t received the same privileges we have, it helps us recognize how fortunate we are as we witness the gratitude of the recipient.

How To Give Back
The abundance of charities here and around the world makes it easy to give back. Most are happy to receive whatever form of help you can provide. If you have more money than time, seek out charities that need donations and make monetary contributions to support their efforts. Large national or global organizations like the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Nature Conservancy, Make-A-Wish, Habitat for Humanity, American Cancer Society, and so on, can efficiently put your money to use. Or, you can find local grassroots, non-profit charities where you can make donations. There are also foundations dedicated explicitly to spreading joy and abundance. The Joyful Living Joyful Giving Foundation envisioned a world wherein generosity could empower people living in poverty to thrive, blessing those who live in impoverished conditions worldwide. And the Joyful Giving Foundation non-profit adheres to the “Give Joy, Get Joy” motto, bundling curated personal care essentials into bags to help unlock recipients’ potential and open up community engagement.

If funds are tight and you still want to give back, you can donate your time. Here’s how:

• Charity work and volunteering – Just search “charities needing volunteers near me,” and you will find multiple options to choose from. Right in your backyard, there are local or smaller charities that need volunteers. Here are just a few ideas to inspire you to give back:
• Help feed your community at a local food bank
• Foster a dog or cat or provide animal care at an animal shelter
• Volunteer at hospitals, medical centers, and senior centers
• Pick up litter at your local park
• Mentor at-risk youth
• Donate household goods – Find charities that need furniture to donate pieces that no longer fit your home or bring you joy. At the same time, you can clean out your closet and donate to charities needing men’s clothing, women’s clothing, and children’s clothes. While you are at it, give your linens an overhaul, donate those that no longer serve you to charities that need blankets, and give away old towels to animal rescues. Offer to help a friend do the same!
• Gifting people that make our lives easier – This can range from teachers, babysitters, and clergy to maintenance staff, mail carriers, or delivery persons.

• How charity begins at home – You can help an older neighbor or one with health issues by walking their dog, picking up groceries, or doing their yardwork, chores, holiday shopping, and baking.
• Turn up the joy wherever you go – There are simple ways to give back that have low cost yet high reward. Small spontaneous acts like giving up your seat for another person, letting someone go in front of you in line, or offering an ear, warm smile, or hug may not be actual charity, but these easy acts of good will add up.
• Go ahead and round up – When asked to round up purchases at checkout, with the difference going to the store’s chosen charity, hitting “yes” won’t cost you much and will have a cumulative impact. Pevonia’s RoundUp for Charity supports Oceana, whose mission is to protect at-risk marine life, restore and preserve the world’s oceans for future generations. Electing to round up your Pevonia order to the next dollar will help Oceana’s campaigns win policy victories that promote oceanic abundance and biodiversity. Every little bit counts towards supporting healthy marine ecosystems, protecting this critical food source, and helping feed more than a billion people daily. Learn more about this valuable organization here: https://oceana.org/
• Make an impact – To give back meaningfully, find something you are passionate about, or that speaks to you personally. Take what makes you joyful and turn that into a beacon of hope you can share with others. Here are some examples of charities and organizations that may resonate with you that Pevonia has also been honored to support:
• If growing up, your family struggled to pay rent, put food on the table, or experienced dysfunction, look into charitable organizations dedicated to homelessness, food scarcity, or domestic violence, providing education and social awareness about these challenges. We support the United Way and shelters for those who are homeless or displaced by donating natural skin care products to help improve the health and well-being of those affected.
• Perhaps you are concerned with people not having access to clean water. charity: water is an organization Pevonia has partnered with that is committed to providing accessible, contaminant-free water to help eliminate this crippling water crisis.
• Like most of us post-pandemic and amidst today’s worldwide unrest, we are grateful for our Frontline responders, police departments, and armed services for keeping us safe. Donating or volunteering wherever possible to support these tireless, selfless groups of heroes is always worthwhile!
• If someone dear to you has battled cancer, join us in supporting the American Cancer Society, which provides complimentary assistance to help people through cancer treatment with the emotional support and recovery they need.
• If you are grateful for your experience as a Girl Scout or have your high school teachers and administrators to thank for guiding you toward success, you can give back to both, like we have!

Joyful Holiday Giving
Remember, spreading joy to friends and family is another way to give. As finding the “right” gift can be daunting, here are some holiday skincare gift sets for festive surprises that will truly spread holiday joy this season:

• For that special loved one who wants to prevent and smooth early signs of aging, gift them the Gleaming Glow Collagen Holiday Gift Set.
• Do you know someone who wishes their skin had the firmer-look of yesteryear? Give them the Festively Firming Elastin Holiday Gift Set or Illuminating Repair Lumafirm® Holiday Gift Set.
• For the person who spent too much time in the sun when they were young, their skin will appreciate the skin-renewing benefits of the Flawlessly Refined Micro-Retinol® Holiday Gift Set.
• Know a savvy beauty enthusiast who knows effective skincare and is always looking for the best ways to revitalize and preserve their youthful-looking skin? Treat them to the Cheerfully Rejuvenated Plant Based Stem Cells Holiday Gift Set or Youth-Boosting Revival Myoxy-Caviar® Holiday Gift Set.
• For your friend with dry, lackluster skin, help renew their comfort and joy with deeply moisturizing winter skin care products in the Joyously Revitalized Holiday Gift Set.
• Do you have a Rapunzel or Fabio in your life obsessed with maintaining their glorious mane? Give them clean hair loss prevention and hair thickening products in the Enlivened Hair & Scalp Gift Set.
• For the chocolate lover, help them to envelop themselves head-to-toe in the Chocolate Indulgence Holiday Gift Set.
• For the picky person who has everything, give them a gift certificate for a spa experience by visiting Find A Spa to locate a Pevonia spa near them. You can choose from a range of Pevonia treatments, including high-performance facials, massages, and body treatments they will always remember.