What #GivingTuesday is all about
We’ve all heard of Black Friday and Cyber Monday and know that they are synonymous with holiday gift buying. Now there’s #Giving Tuesday.
The idea behind #GivingTuesday on Nov. 27, 2012, is not creating a new nonprofit to give to, but to encourage giving in general during the holiday season. In an era when social networking is one of the main sources of news-gathering for an increasing segment of the population, #GivingTuesday is a timely and clever idea. #GivingTuesday is concept created by a national consortium of individuals, nonprofits and corporations of which Jeffrey Byrne & Associates is proud to be a member.
Being part of a movement is cool. The thought of improving your community by going viral about #GivingTuesday on your FaceBook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts sounds pretty simple and doable. And, it’s a good way to introduce the idea of philanthropy to kids, whether they are teenagers or younger.
Though it’s important to make monetary contributions, this is a good time to think of additional ways to give and encourage your cyber friends to participate.
Gifts of time: Spend time volunteering as a Salvation Army bell ringer. Call ahead and visit a school near your office or home and have lunch or read with a group of kids. Donate some time at Wayside Waifs, a local animal shelter, help prepare a meal at your area Ronald McDonald House, or are there any Habitat for Humanity projects going on in your area? The elderly couple down the street may need some help around their home getting ready for winter. The new mom next door would appreciate a prepared casserole that can be popped in the microwave, or someone to watch the older kids for an hour or two. Volunteer opportunities are endless and everywhere.
Gifts in-kind: Speaking of Habitat for Humanity – how about donating that extra gallon of paint to Habitat Restore? If you are a homeowner, you no doubt have building materials and supplies left over from projects that you will never use. Donate it! Your area school could use a donation of books for their library, drawing paper or arts and craft supplies of any type. Your place of worship always has a list of items they are collecting for donation.
“#GivingTuesday offers America a new narrative, challenging us to think beyond Black Friday and Cyber Monday and reminding us that the spirit of the holiday giving season should be about community and not just consumerism,” said Kathy Calvin, CEO of the UN Foundation. “The most meaningful gift we can give our children, loved ones, friends and neighbors is the commitment to work together to build a better world.”
Those who are interested in joining the #GivingTuesday movement can commit to give back to their favorite charity on Nov. 27, 2012, plan to participate in one of the many #GivingTuesday partner initiatives or do something on an individual basis. Details about partner initiatives and ideas for creating individual #GivingTuesday events and actions are available at the #GivingTuesday website (givingtuesday.org).
The bottom line is – get out there and do some good! You will benefit from it as much as the recipient.
Jeffrey Byrne is locally based and a nationally known philanthropic fundraising consultant and the local representative for #Giving Tuesday.
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