By Jordan Hannan

Brooke does absolutely everything but sleep. She’s a two-sport athlete, enrolled in one of the most rigorous course loads possible, works two jobs, and is the most incredible friend to everyone around her. Not only that, but she was also the first of my friends to inquire about how she could volunteer through Triangle Cares when I first joined the team. Even when her schedule doesn’t allow for rest, Brooke continues to prioritize having a positive impact on others. She’s able to accomplish everything she needs to, as well as everything that the average person makes excuses to get out of. How can this be possible for the rest of us?

Despite its simplicity, the common idea of donating your time, talent, and treasure can be quite difficult to put into practice, particularly due to the rarity of free time. Everybody deems their lives to be busy, indicated by the growing market for productivity apps and time-saving home-automation accessories. If we have convinced ourselves that we’re too preoccupied to even queue up a playlist without Alexa, it must seem even more inconceivable to dedicate hours at a time to cleaning up trash at your local park or serving at the nearest soup kitchen. However, incorporating service into your weekly schedule doesn’t have to be a great disruption or huge commitment:
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1. Find opportunities to serve in locations that you already frequent. Throughout the school year, I was able to easily accomplish this by serving at and through my high school, Cardinal Gibbons. However, I then had trouble finding a solution to my inability to continue this during the summer, as opportunities had become both rare and inconvenient. This led me to become a lector and Eucharistic Minister at my church, a place I already needed to visit weekly. By volunteering in a place I’d already be, I am able to benefit my community without taking up any more of my time. 
2. Add a service element to the events you’re already hosting. As an extremely social person, spending time with my friends is the most attractive weekend activity. However, I’m not actually particularly excited to go to the park or out for lunch; I just want to see my friends and family. Therefore, I would recommend replacing some of these activities with volunteering or fundraisers. If your baseball team is planning an end-of-year team dinner, suggest collecting donations at the door or supplement the event with a service outing beforehand. By adding volunteering to a tradition or event you already participate in, incorporating service is easier, as you have already carved out the time for the previous activity. 
3. Instead of donating your talent, give of your treasure. For high schoolers, this aspect of service tends to be overlooked due to their general lack of means. Having said that, treasure doesn’t only reference checks worth hundreds or thousands of dollars. Old clothes, childhood toys, and canned goods are always needed by our nonprofits, and they can make a huge difference, especially when multiplied by the number of students in your clubs and school. Check out next week’s blog for more information about making donations. 

If you’re in need of some new nonprofits to donate your time to, check out our website here!

By Jordan Hannan

It seems that there’d be absolutely no way that a middle schooler could raise four thousand dollars from a charity bake sale in an elementary school cafeteria, but I did. For four consecutive years. 

My limited skill set would never allow for even the formation of this service project. However, when combined with that of my peers, family, and school community, we were able to donate a total of $16,000 to the Marfan Foundation. My grandmother’s and teachers’ baking, parents’ organization, and peers’ support were equally integral in ensuring the success of the project, though I doubt our eager patrons ever realized just how many uniquely talented people had helped in its creation. 

While it’s obvious that any business would need website developers, accountants, leaders, handymen, or marketers, we tend to disregard that a nonprofit might need to fill those roles also. There is far more to any organization than the food drives and charity events that one-time volunteers attend. Without the donation of your skills, nonprofits would never be able run successfully, eliminating all potential for service opportunities or positive change. 

The concept of volunteering tends to get put into a box--as if the only way you can contribute to your community is by donating a bag full of canned green beans once a year. Instead, nonprofits are the culmination of innumerable volunteers’ talents. If you are looking to provide long-term support for your favorite charity, here are some ways you can get started:

Take a look at your career. Your résumé is filled with skills that can be easily applied to serve others, whether you are a teen with a part-time summer job or a parent with a twenty-year history with your corporation. My mom provides a great example: She’s an accountant, making her extremely organized and comfortable with numbers, so she volunteers as the head of the finance committee at our parish. Similarly, if you tutor younger kids, you would be a wonderful addition to the Gigi's Playhouse team. If you wait tables, A Place at the Table would love to have you. 

Reconfigure your hobbies. While there are plenty of service opportunities that align exactly with your interests (check out our blog regarding this here), don’t limit yourself to just those. A friend of my parents, Jon, exemplified this perfectly by channeling his knack for construction into creating a book cart for our local NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). If you love to draw, find a nonprofit in need of new digital advertisements. Try leading a charity 5k if you’re a talented runner or great host. Focus on why you excel in your extracurriculars rather than activities themselves. 

The balance between school, work, service, athletics, and social activities may seem overwhelming or nearly impossible; allow Triangle Cares to help you find time to serve in next week's blog.

By Jordan Hannan 

While it is entirely preferable to find your passion without the intervention of a life-changing event, I was not so lucky. June 15th, 2020 left me bedridden with the worst pain I have ever endured, finding sleep nearly impossible during the nights but unavoidable during the day, horizontal and bored out of my mind for 23 hours every day for weeks on end. What left a 14-year-old girl with a dozen “get well soon” blankets and stacks of sweets that only her family could enjoy: a complete spinal fusion, gifting me with two metal rods, four wires, and twenty-two screws in place of one fully-functioning spine. 

My experience was undoubtedly horrendous, but there were several positives: my impressively short four-day stay at Duke University Hospital, the life-altering discovery of Sour Patch Kid Watermelons, and eating what I thought were the most delicious meals this planet could offer. (According to my mother, the grayish hospital oatmeal and rice was not the delicacy I thought it to be.) Among these highlights, however, was finding what makes me happiest: spending time with others. 

I’ve always been a social person, but I’d never realized just how much I needed to be surrounded by others until that was almost entirely taken away from me. Despite the difficulty I had even holding up my phone, FaceTiming my sister from my hospital bed was the first time I remember smiling after my 9-hour surgery. Later, the Fourth of July finally allowed me to see my four grandparents for the first time, and I’d never been happier, even though my overexcitement left me in an immense amount of pain. I knew that nothing in this world could provide the same sheer contentment of being with other people. 

However, finding something you enjoy is not the same as finding your passion. I clearly love talking to others, but that alone is entirely too shallow to consider it the most valuable part of my life. The same goes for any hobby you might have--sports, music, cooking, or painting. You can, however, find depth by using your hobby to give back to others. While you may have several hobbies that you enjoy, your sole passion, the element of your life that you feel like you could never live without, must not only better your life, but also the lives of those around you. 

For me, this takes place in many ways, but all have taught me to better appreciate my love for meeting new people and spending time with those I already know. At Cardinal Gibbons High School, I lead tours for prospective students and families. Similarly, I volunteer as a counselor for underclassmen retreats and as a greeter at my church. My parents have also turned their passions into service--my father combined his love for golf with my mother’s affection for our family, creating the Kaitlyn and Jordan Classic, a charity golf tournament made to give back to Duke Children’s, the hospital that saved the lives of both my sister and me. This deepened connection between the cause and the volunteer greatly increases the impact of their service, allowing the discovery of your passion to incite positive change.

The Triangle Cares website contains the contact information for all sorts of nonprofits that can be aligned with your passion, strengthening its influence on your life and the lives of others. However, if you are still unsure how you can share your talent to serve others, allow us to help you next week.  

By Jordan Hannan

As if she always had a dozen invisible balloons tied to her wrist, my close friend Kate is smiling every waking moment. Like her, there are some people that just seem so ecstatic to be alive, as though they personally selected that day’s shade of blue to color the sky. A seemingly simple characteristic, continuous genuine happiness, is becoming increasingly rare, and therefore even more admirable.

Fleeting happiness? Incredibly easy to find: a vacation, a night out, an A on a test, or winning a championship. Any of these events, while exciting in the moment, have no longevity when it comes to providing your life with value. The satisfaction of an A on a test fades with the impending anxiety of the next exam. The same goes for a family vacation: leading up to and during your trip, you are a flurry of anticipation and gratitude. However, as soon as the plane lands back in RDU, the longing for the next holiday begins. Finding “happiness” in momentary experiences or materialistic achievements is not adequate when seeking to live a complete life. 

There are three ways to effectively eradicate this pattern of thinking revolving around temporary reward, while simultaneously replacing it with the unending positivity of a consistently cheerful person:

1. Notice other people. This is quite possibly the most overlooked habit, despite its effortlessness and impact. I could point out the stranger who complimented my outfit a year from now, which employee offered to carry my takeout to the car when I nearly lost the garlic bread, and which of my peers never fails to enter class with a greeting. It sounds incredibly easy to pick up a dropped toy for a preoccupied and overwhelmed father, to hold the door for someone balancing three boxes, or to actually remember your mail carrier's name, and that’s because it is. When you put in the extra--yet minimal--effort that it takes to notice other people, it brightens their day while freeing you from the cycle of thinking of only your own life.
   
2. Express gratitude in the moment. The concept of prioritizing gratitude, especially for the purpose of shared happiness, has become mainstream and feels redundant. However, the emphasis is always placed on internal thought, as if your appreciation must be contained to a ten-line list in the journal on your desk; this is beyond untrue. For some unknown reason, we seem to assume that everyone already knows that they’re loved, appreciated for their assistance, or cherished for the time spent with them. Usually, that is not the case, but, even if it is, they always deserve to hear it again. The kindest people I know gift flowers to the living, are always quick with a “thank you”, and spend their time and money giving back to the organizations that have served them. 
   
3. Find deeper meaning in the activities you already partake in. We all have a plethora of different hobbies and interests, and they certainly provide happiness, but they don’t necessarily offer lifelong value. However, there are endless nonprofit organizations, each with unique missions, that can allow you to turn your hobby into something that can benefit the lives of others. If you love baseball, become a mentor at Miracle League; if you ride horses, dedicate your time to helping young girls at CORRAL; if you love to cook, spend your  afternoons at A Place at the Table. By channeling your interests into service with meaning, you can incorporate your passions into your life in a more influential way, creating a domino effect of positivity. (Triangle Cares would love to connect you with the perfect nonprofit! Our site lists a variety of local charities to help you get started.)
   

Spreading positivity by finding your passion is easier said than done, so allow us to help you get started with next week’s blog. 

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By Jordan Hannan

One week ago, I spent two full days raving to my three family members about my spectacular experience picking up a singular quesadilla from Moe’s Southwest Grill. If you’re wondering what could have possibly made such a mundane experience so notable, I am, too: The employee who prepared the meal did so enthusiastically before passing it along to her coworker. When handing me my to-go bag, the cashier screamed, whipping it back toward himself explaining, “The lid was about to come off. I didn’t want you to lose your chips.” Grateful for his extra care, I held the door for a fellow patron, who wished me a great day on her way out. Clearly, this is not the outstanding narrative that my sister expected after volunteering to hear my third rendition of this story. How could finding three kind strangers in one spot be this newsworthy?

By 2016, an estimated 900 million people were stuck feeling unfulfilled by their lives, and that number has only increased since. Not only that, the 2022 World Happiness Report concludes that, “Positive emotions have generally been twice as prevalent as negative ones. That gap has been narrowing over the past ten years, with enjoyment and laughter on a negative trend in most regions, and worry and sadness on rising trends.” Despite the objections that seem to follow these studies, our daily interactions with others prove their veracity. 

It’s never difficult to tell whether someone is a generally happy or unhappy person; a traffic light, coworker, or mixed-up order could determine so. Stopped at a red light, some drivers will grumble for the entirety of the wait before sounding their horn the moment it switches to green. Others will take the moment to appreciatively sip their morning coffee or lovingly pet their dog in the passenger seat. When they both arrive at work, the first will assure that everyone they interact with is up-to-date on their latest inconvenience, while the latter will kindly remember to ask their coworker how their weekend was or include them in their lunch plans that afternoon. When their break starts, both end up at the local sandwich shop. When their orders are swapped, the first will blame the cashier and complain for the remainder of the day, while the second will thank the store for their apologetic replacement. The course of these two workdays were entirely up to the mindset of the individual, one being entirely reactionary while the other focused on gratitude. 

Unfortunately, the vast majority of us witness the unhappy scenarios far more frequently, and they will undoubtedly continue unless we, individually and collectively, invoke change in order to lead more fulfilled lives. Happy people do not universally identify as the same race, gender, or economic class. However, they consistently share a feeling of purpose, whether that be through a hobby, their work, their interactions with others, or volunteering. 

The quickest way to ensure that you lead an unhappy lifestyle is to isolate yourself from others, to neglect caring for your health, and to see life with a fixed, negative perspective. Not only that, you also--so generously--cultivate a community of unhappy people through your infectious actions. However, at Triangle Cares, we believe that one happy person brings about another, and we would love to teach you how to be a changemaker in positivity in next week’s blog.

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Most nonprofit organizations have come to understand the value of social media. These platforms enable you to share an inside look at what your nonprofit is doing and the mission you are serving. Social media is also a tool that can be utilized to increase your donor base and to connect with more volunteers. Many nonprofit organizations are increasing their engagement on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and even TikTok, but they are missing out on arguably one of the most important ones: LinkedIn.  

LinkedIn is the largest professional network in the world; there are over 690 million active members across the entire globe. The purpose of LinkedIn as a professional networking site is to help people make business connections, share their experiences and resumes, and learn from thought leaders across various industries in the business world. LinkedIn is similar to other popular social media platforms in the sense that it has a continuous feed of content, but LinkedIn’s content centers around business rather than personal matters. What also differentiates LinkedIn from other social media platforms is that less than 1% of users are posting content to their LinkedIn pages on a regular basis. This means that LinkedIn is not oversaturated with content like many platforms are. While most nonprofits maintain a social media strategy on Instagram and Facebook, their strategy undervalues the benefits of utilizing a professional networking platform that can help make connections with prospective partners while also communicating their mission to the greater business world. 

LinkedIn is a valuable tool for nonprofit organizations because your content is more likely to be seen, but it is also more likely to be seen by the right people. According to research on the platform’s users, LinkedIn members are 56% more likely than the average internet user to donate to charities. This means that being active on LinkedIn allows you to connect with people who likely have disposable income and are more inclined to contribute their time or money than the average user on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. 
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Because LinkedIn is underutilized by many nonprofits, now is the time to start prioritizing the platform in your social media strategy to give yourself an edge from the rest of the competition. Here are some tips for how to work LinkedIn in the best way to get visibility for your nonprofit.  

• First off, if you don’t have one already, you should create a company page for your nonprofit organization. The company page should include your logo, your mission, and photos to fully encapsulate your mission and the difference you are making in the community. 

• Creating your organization's page is important, but equally or even more important is that your staff is active on LinkedIn. Most of the time, the executive leadership team of a nonprofit organization is not overly active on LinkedIn. They might post when there is a job opening or to make a big announcement, but they are not showing up on a regular basis. The best way to truly portray your organization's culture, values, and mission is through authentic engagement from your staff members. Anthony Jones, a LinkedIn Strategist, said it best: “people connect with people”. Potential donors and volunteers are more likely to engage with a face behind the organization than just a company page.  
• Next, you should increase engagement to your page by authentic engagement with other people and organizations in your field. Nonprofit organizations are all about connections, and LinkedIn is the ideal platform to build connections digitally. Allocate 15 minutes per day to post thoughtful comments on 4-5 posts from similar nonprofit organizations. 

Because so few nonprofit organizations are utilizing LinkedIn, and doing it well, this is a great opportunity for your company to stand out from the competition. If the goal of your social media strategy is to increase engagement, engage potential donors, and spread awareness about volunteer opportunities, LinkedIn is the place to go. While Instagram and Facebook are effective platforms, LinkedIn’s professional network enables your content to be seen, and be seen by the right people.