A charity for happier living
Action for Happiness is a global mental health charity founded in 2010, with the Dalai Lama as its patron since 2011. It helps people learn habits for happier living through courses, events, daily actions, and community support. Members put those ideas into practice together, giving the organisation a way to extend learning beyond a single session or event.
Reaching people who avoid the public feed
Much of the charity's work took place face to face, which limited who could join. Social media offered wider reach but created a different problem: people discussing vulnerable experiences did not always feel comfortable sharing in public, and some were deliberately taking a break from social platforms.
Action for Happiness needed a private digital setting where people could learn, talk honestly, and support one another without the exposure and distraction of a public feed—and a way to extend the work of a small London team to a global community.
Daily action in a private space
The Action for Happiness app brings groups, forums, courses, daily actions, and guest talks into a space managed by the charity. Push notifications deliver a practical idea each day, while groups and forums give members somewhere to discuss how those ideas meet real life. The app is free to use, and members can take part from wherever they are, get to know people working towards similar goals, and choose what they feel ready to share. "The app has been a great way of engaging people with our daily action ideas and bringing them into our community of caring and like-minded people," the charity says.
75% coming back each month
75% of the community actively engages each month—reach achieved without asking vulnerable members to use a public social network. The app also lets a small team deliver daily support, learning, and events at global scale, and gives members a continuing place to return to between courses and talks, so the charity can keep its focus on the mission rather than managing disconnected channels.
