134: Neuroscience and Giving - Volunteering Feels Good

"Volunteering can satisfy psychological needs: the need to belong to a community, to see one’s values an action or to develop skills and purpose."

I am reading from Neurogiving. The Science of Donor Decision-Making by Cherian Koshy, published in 2025.

Reflection question:

• How are you showing gratitude to your campaign volunteers?
  
  

Reflection on quote:

We are exploring how generosity is deeply embedded into what it means to be human and how that impacts capital campaigns, using insights from a book recently released by my friend and colleague Cherian Koshy. This week, we are looking at volunteering as it relates to capital campaigns.

When I am discussing with the Executive Director the number of campaign volunteers that will be needed for a capital campaign, I often hear two concerns.  How can we ask someone to give so much of their time, often months and even years to the campaign?  And, secondly, how can ask them to donate financially as well?  

As Cherian points out, we can ask because it’s inherent to being human.  We desire social connection and meaningful work that shows progress.  Joining a campaign committee or being the campaign chair provides immediate social connections and meaning.  Further, as the committee raises funds together, they see the progress towards the goal and the actual building going up.  Further, campaign volunteers naturally want to give to the campaign because of their engagement.  They want to give both their time and money to be a part of the progress.  They are doubly invested. In small towns, their passion about the project will then draw others to join in. And, as result, when we keep sharing the progress of the campaign and show gratitude for their engagement, campaign volunteers will keep volunteering because it makes them feel good. 

Here's how to purchase Neurogiving from Wiley or Amazon.

Quote used by permission.

To explore small town capital campaign coaching deeper and to schedule an free explore coaching call, visit ServingNonprofits.com.

Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

Transcript

Welcome back. This podcast explores the wisdom of generosity, from ancient to modern, and the beautiful space where generosity occurs during small town capital campaigns. If you like this podcast, please rate or review in your favorite podcast app.

We are continuing exploring how generosity is deeply embedded into what it means to be human and how that impacts capital campaigns, using insights from a book recently released by my friend and colleague Cherian Koshy.  You can purchase his book using the link in the show notes.  This week, we are looking at volunteering as it relates to capital campaigns.  So, I am reading from Neurogiving. The Science of Donor Decision-Making by Cherian Koshy, published in 2025.

Quote

Brain imaging studies show that while both giving time and money activate reward systems, they light up different regions. Volunteering appears to tilt more towards social-emotional processing whereas monetary giving involves more analytical or value calculation processing alongside the reward response. The emotional lens of time fosters a more generous mindset. 

In essence, volunteering naturally packages together many ingredients that make the brain feel good: human connection, visible impact, physical activity and a sense of accomplishment. It's experience-based giving. This helps to explain why many volunteers talk about the activity, not as a sacrifice, but as something that they get as much out of as they give. Volunteering can satisfy psychological needs: the need to belong to a community, to see one’s values an action or to develop skills and purpose. 

A volunteer who also donates financially could feel doubly invested (emotionally and materially). Research on donor behavior reflects this crossover: involvement in one mode of giving often predicts increased involvement in the other. Research by Fidelity Charitable and others find that people who volunteer tend to donate more to charity than non-volunteers, in part because their engagement and empathy for the cause increases through direct experience. By designing volunteer tasks that are meaningful, social, and show progress, we essentially create a positive neurochemical experience for the volunteer, which leads in turn to sustained engagement and word of mouth to bring others. Neuroscience thus affirms an old piece of wisdom: people will keep doing something that makes them feel good.

Unquote

When I am discussing with the Executive Director the number of campaign volunteers that will be needed for a capital campaign, I often hear two concerns.  How can we ask someone to give so much of their time, often months and even years to the campaign?  And, secondly, how can ask them to donate financially as well? 

 As Cherian points out, we can ask because it’s inherent to being human.  We desire social connection and meaningful work that shows progress.  Joining a campaign committee or being the campaign chair provides immediate social connections and meaning.  Further, as the committee raises funds together, they see the progress towards the goal and the actual building going up.  Further, campaign volunteers naturally want to give to the campaign because of their engagement.  They want to give both their time and money to be a part of the progress.  They are doubly invested. In small towns, their passion about the project will then draw others to join in. And, as result, when we keep sharing the progress of the campaign and show gratitude for their engagement, campaign volunteers will keep volunteering because it makes them feel good. 

Let’s reflect on one question this week:

How are you showing gratitude to your campaign volunteers?

Share this podcast if you enjoy these five-minute reflections and subscribe to receive these reflections released every Monday. To explore small town capital campaign coaching deeper, visit Serving Nonprofits dot com. See you next week.