To make our cities and communities smarter, we must become a little smarter ourselves, seeking information and an agenda to forge connections enabling collaboration. Many people hope that someday soon, leaders will combine technological capabilities and social innovation to help produce a smarter world. That world will be seen on the ground in smarter cities composed of smarter communities that support the well-being of all citizens. Helping others takes countless forms and springs from countless motivations, from deep-rooted empathy to a more calculated desire for public recognition. Social scientists have identified a host of ways in which charitable behavior can lead to benefits for the giver, whether economically via tax breaks, socially via signaling one’s wealth or status, or psychologically via experiencing well-being from helping. Nonprofits protect our environment, defend our civil rights, provide educational and job opportunities and help to build stronger and healthier communities. Each one of us directly or indirectly benefits from the leadership and hard work of nonprofit organizations.

Charitable organizations have traditionally capitalized on all of these motivations for giving, with a recently emerging focus on highlighting the mood benefits of giving—the feelings of empowerment, joy, and inspiration that giving engenders.

There are many ways of partaking in the non-profit organizations such as creating one or sustaining one already existing through volunteering. The internet is a perfect way to start identifying needs in your community. Sites such as www.volunteermatch.org or www.greatnonprofits.org will help you locate ways of helping in your community. Also there is information from sites like www.tacs.org or the Institute for Nonprofit Management offered by Portland State University that will guide you through the needed process of achieving your goal of making that so wanted impact.