Many of us get to a point in life where we wonder how (or how much more) we can contribute to society.
Helping society is an important step for people to become more mature and well-rounded.
In this article, we’ll explore 21 ways that you can contribute, whether in person or online.
Why Should I Contribute To Society?
To contribute to society means that we add to society, or lessen the damage we, and others, may have caused.
When you’re helping those less fortunate than yourself, it can have profound effects on your mental health and life satisfaction.
How To Contribute To Society – 21 Best Tips
1. Start Small
It doesn’t have to be a big chore to contribute, and you don’t need to have lots of money or free time.
If you have an idea of a place in your community you’d like to contribute to, you can start small.
Maybe donate a small amount from your income, or spend 30 minutes on the weekend to get involved.
Every little drop of kindness counts, and there are people that appreciate it.
2. Become Informed
A good step to begin contributing to your community is to learn more about it.
Find out about local government issues, infrastructure problems, or charities that are under-funded.
The first step to helping is knowledge. Sit in on community meetings, or see if you can talk to the local government.
A lot of people also write letters with suggestions to their major when an issue occurs, to ensure the betterment of the local society.
3. Changing Your Habits And Behavior
Often the best way to start change around you, is to take responsibility to change from within.
You can start with your own habits and behavior.
You could make a list of your everyday habits, and rate them. Rate whether they contribute to society, damage society, or are neutral.
You can then try to change behaviors that negatively affect society and the environment, such as smoking, or leaving the faucet on for too long, etc.
Or install new helpful habits, such as recycling. If you have the space, you could also plant trees.
4. Donating Blood
A great bit of volunteer work to help society is to donate blood.
It doesn’t require too much time, and you’d be helping a lot of people, whether your blood type is common or rare.
You can enquire about it at your local clinic, or look out for mobile blood drives in your area.
Just check that you meet the health standards, and then you can sit down to fill up one bag per session.
5. Changing Your Mindset For The Community
The fact that you’re reading this article (and came this far) is a sign that you have a heart to help the world around you.
This is a great attitude to have and, as insignificant as you may see it, is a great foundation to begin benefiting society.
The law of attraction comes into play here. When you focus on helping others, the opportunity to help others will often come to you.
Follow your intuition and surely you’ll find a cause close to your heart.
6. Volunteering
One of the most talked about and popular ways to contribute to society is by volunteering.
There’s no shortage of organizations that can really benefit from an extra helping hand.
You could volunteer at a soup kitchen that will feed a homeless person or fifty.
If you have the time and adventurous spirit, there are many summer volunteer work opportunities.
For example, you could help build a house in an impoverished community while getting to know many great people.
7. Donating Resources
You might not have enough money or time to give to organizations, but you could donate other resources.
For example, your local homeless shelter would really appreciate the clothes that you’re no longer wearing or grew out of.
Almost all organizations that help the hungry would appreciate a food donation. And centers for helping women could definitely benefit from a donation of sanitary products.
8. Clothing Swaps Over Fast Fashion
The fast fashion industry has proven to be a huge harm to the environment.
A great way to contribute to society and the environment is by limiting your clothing purchases – it doesn’t take too much effort.
Instead, participate in clothes swaps with your friends, or host clothes swaps in your community.
9. Support Community Events
It’s tough to run a local community organization. Being an active participant and volunteering in the various community activities in your area code could be a good way to show support.
It’s also a great way to mingle with people in your community and find other ways to help out.
10. Pursue A Career That’s Needed In Society
If you want to make a significant contribution to society while still making a living, then it pays to get into a profession that helps society.
Careers in education, social work, medicine, etc. are always welcome, and you could even take your skills to overseas countries or charities, like Doctors without Borders.
Often in impoverished areas, these types of careers are sorely needed, and it would make a difference.
Become aware of professions that your community needs. If it aligns with your own goals, it might be a good career to pursue.
11. Preparing And Giving Food To The Needy
Your local homeless shelter or religious center will often have charity drives, such as preparing and giving out warm dishes, such as soup, to the homeless.
You could aid their efforts monetarily or donate food. You could also offer a helping hand, in the kitchen or serving.
When people think of charity, this kind of volunteering is often the first idea to come to mind, and for good reason.
There are always people who need food and the kindness of strangers in their lives.
12. Listening
Another way to contribute in your everyday life is by showing kindness and empathy wherever you can.
As the saying goes, charity begins at home. Starting at home for you might mean lending a sympathetic ear to the issues that your friends and family have.
Kindness can go a long way, and it is rarely forgotten.
And who knows, maybe your small act may lead the other person to pay it forward and cause a ripple effect of goodwill.
How To Contribute To Society Online
Contributing doesn’t always mean soup kitchens and blood drives.
In fact, because of the internet, you could contribute to society from the comfort of your home.
13. Donation To Charity
Donations to charitable causes can all be done online. And there are even online charity events that you could attend and support.
Youtube, and other social media platforms have the ability to host fundraisers to encourage users to donate to worthy causes.
If there’s a cause that you truly believe in, you could offer entertainment, or witty words, in exchange for money to your cause.
14. Spread Awareness On Social Media
You can contribute to society by gaining knowledge of the issues that affect it.
You can then spread this newfound knowledge with people all over the world via social media.
Whether you just want to create awareness of issues that people might not know about, or encourage others to donate money or resources to charity, your online posts can make a difference.
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15. Use Apps To Help Others Less Fortunate
Speaking of using technology to help the community, there are various apps that you can use to help make other’s lives easier.
For example, the Be My Eyes app allows you to volunteer your sight to help those who are partially or fully blind, with activities that could use your vision.
Besides Be My Eyes, there are many other apps that you can use to help others.
16. Teach Life Skills That Could Help Others
Do you have knowledge or useful skills that not many others have?
Maybe you’re really good at financial planning or you know how to upcycle things from wood and plastic.
Whatever it is that you know, you can use your unique characteristics and personal interests to help people.
You can do this by making a tutorial video and sharing it online, or creating a course or live webinar that allows people to interact and ask questions as they follow you.
5 Things You Have Contributed To Society – Things You May Not Know You Are Contributing Already
17. Recycling
Do you separate your trash into separate bins? Many households already do this, whether it is by law or not.
And guess what? It is a great way to contribute to society.
By separating waste, using less plastic, and donating recyclables, you make it easier on the environment.
18. Family Planning
Whether intentional or not, if you are not having a child (or more children), then you are contributing in many ways.
Overpopulation may lead to resource scarcity, and each new life leaves a great carbon footprint.
Having more resources and looking after the children that are currently impoverished or suffering leads to a better society.
19. Saving Fuel By Taking Public Transport, Walking, or Cycling
If you walk, take public transport, or even carpool to work, you directly benefit society by leaving less cars on the road.
Less cars on the road means less air pollution and a healthier environment.
Taking alternative transport to individual cars means that you are helping society on a daily basis.
20. Working For or Buying From An Eco-Friendly Company
Many companies pride themselves on making a significant contribution to charities or environmental initiatives.
By supporting or working for these companies, you are also contributing to society.
21. Paying Taxes
Many people hate the thought of taxes, but they do contribute to society.
Whether you are paying taxes on goods or have it taken from your work income, it can help others.
Money from taxes are spread throughout different branches of government to aid in welfare, healthcare, and education, among other sectors.
So the percentage that you pay can help those who need assistance for their education or assistance for their disabilities.
FAQs
What are examples of contribution to society?
There are many examples of how to contribute to society, as we mentioned in this list.
The best way to start is to choose one and start small.
If you have the heart to help, the opportunities will soon present themselves to you.
What are some essays on contributing to society? – How to contribute to society essay
There are many useful and informative writings on how and why we should contribute to society. Here are some good essays to read on how all types of people contribute.
Conclusion
In this article, we shared 21 ways to contribute to society, offline and online, as well as ways you may be contributing already.
Leave this article a like and comment about how you want to help your community! And please share this article to those who need it!