Donations and charity giving is especially common during the holiday season. Probably a combination of the ‘holiday spirit’ and people having a little bit of extra money from work bonuses and holiday gifts. The majority of charitable dollars went to religion (32%), education (15%), human services and grantmaking foundations (12%), and health (8%) in 2014.

What many people forget is there are hundreds of thousands of nonprofit recruiters constantly searching for new candidates for nonprofit jobs. Overall, there are more than 1.53 million non-profit, tax-exempt organizations, including: 1,061,916 public charities, 102,055 private foundations, and 368,279 other types of nonprofit organizations, including chambers of commerce, fraternal organizations and civic leagues.

They all need people to work for them and while they may not pay the most money, there are certain things you can gain from them that go beyond dollar signs and benefits. Here are three emotions you’re likely to feel while working at nonprofit jobs.

1. Gratitude: There are few things in this world that will leave you feeling more appreciative than working with those that are sick, disabled, or otherwise less fortunate. Simple things many people take advantage of like presents on Christmas or new clothes. If you’re ever feeling bad about the situation you grew up in, working nonprofit jobs can really put things into perspective.
2. Self Esteem: That internal feeling of pride and happiness knowing you’ve done something good for someone else is as elusive as it is powerful. About 63% of high net worth donors cite ?giving back to the community? as a chief motivation for giving. It’s not a bad thing to feel good about yourself for doing good for others. Embrace it.
3. Purpose: You might have a lucrative job with lots of people working under you, but for some reason you just don’t feel fulfilled. Working nonprofits jobs can help you find your purpose in life, for many times it’s only through helping others that we learn the most about ourselves.

Even if you can’t land a full-time nonprofit job, volunteering is a great way to achieve these same emotions. Between September 2010 and September 2014 approximately 25.3% of Americans over the age of 16 volunteered through or for an organization. Make this one of the statistics you strive to be apart of.