On Giving Tuesday in 2017, $274 million was raised for organizations by more than 2.5 million contributors.
What is Giving Tuesday?
#GivingTuesday is a day of global generosity that kicks off the giving season and is celebrated the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. The concept was created by a team at the Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact in New York City in 2012. The Giving Tuesday movement hopes to inspire people to give back through monetary and in-kind donations as well as volunteer work. Since its creation, Giving Tuesday has seen increasing donations each year.
Who participates?
More than 51,000 organization are registered with Giving Tuesday this year. Organizations from all over the world are hoping to capitalize on this global day of giving. In 2017, more than 2.5 million contributions were made. The impact of Giving Tuesday continues to grow because people continue to see how important it is to give back.
Organizations who fight human trafficking and support vulnerable populations are participating this year. You can find ways to help on their websites or donation pages. Even if an organization isn’t officially participating, reach out and see if there is anything you can do that would help them end the year well. Filling a need is always appreciated by those working in this space.
How can I participate?
- You can participate by giving monetarily, in-kind donations, or by volunteering your skills and time. While it is important to give to large international organizations, it is also important to give to local organizations in your community. These smaller organizations are doing excellent work, and they too need your support. On the Giving Tuesday webpage, you can search all organizations that are participating in your area. Take a look and see what you can offer.
- Another way you can participate in the giving season is to link your favorite nonprofit to your Amazon account through AmazonSmile. AmazonSmile is a donation program that gives .5% of all purchases made on the website to the organization of your choice. While doing your holiday shopping, remember to go to smile.amazon.com in order to count your purchase toward a donation. In order to link a charitable organization to your account, sign in to smile.amazon.com, click on your account, and then select “Change your Charity.” You can then select whatever organization you would like to donate to with your purchases. So far, Amazon has donated $105,515,619 to all the charities involved. Make sure that your favorite organization is receiving donations by shopping through AmazonSmile this holiday season.
- Another way to assist your favorite organization is to share what they are doing with your friends and family. The power of Giving Tuesday is the social media aspect. It harnesses your influence online in order to encourage your friends and followers to participate as well. If you donate, tweet about it. If you volunteer, post it on Instagram. If you want others to know about an organization’s campaign, share it on Facebook.
The most important thing to remember this holiday season is to give back. Giving Tuesday is a great way to begin, but you can give all season long. Utilize your influence and involve your community.
The Alliance for Freedom, Restoration, and Justice® participates in both Amazon Smile and Giving Tuesday each year. Be sure to follow us on social media this holiday season on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook: @engagetogether