#GivingTuesday
This is a sponsored post on behalf of #GivingTuesday.
We have all heard about Black Friday and Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. But there’s a new after-Thanksgiving day joining the ranks.
What is #GivingTuesday?
Giving Tuesday inspires personal philanthropy and encourages bigger, better and smarter charitable giving during the holiday season, showing that the world truly gives as good as it gets. Giving Tuesday serves as a celebratory, fully connected day to kick off the giving season, when many make their holiday and end-of-year charitable gifts.
Giving Tuesday proves that the holidays can be about both giving and giving back. It celebrates how Americans can do more with their wallets than just show – and that we Americans can give as good as we get.
Who can join in on the initiative?
#GivingTuesday™ is an initiative to start the giving season and we encourage everyone to be involved with it. However, to be an official partner, you must be a registered non-profit [a 501(c)3 in the United States] with a specific #GivingTuesday initiative, or a for-profit business, school, religious or community group who commit to spearhead a project that will benefit at least one registered charity or non-profit. Families and individuals are encouraged to be generous in whatever ways matter to them, whether that means volunteering at a local charity or donating to a favorite cause.
How you as a family can participate in #GivingTuesday?
Here are some great ideas from the GivingTuesday.org site!
- Have a family conversation about your favorite foods and the healthy foods you having been trying to eat. Take some of those foods from your cabinets (non perishable) and bring them to your local food pantry.
- Home Treasure Hunt! Look in your closets at home …kitchen tools, dishes, towels and sheets, toys, books, school supplies. Collect what is not being used, what hasn’t been used in a long time, and the extras you have, and donate to a program that sets up families in new homes.
- “Change of Season” – At the beginning of each new season, think of one specific item that is needed. For instance, gloves and hats for winter, socks for fall, T-shirts for summer, etc. Do a collection in your neighborhood, building, or school for just that one item and donate. The younger children enjoy counting up the number of items that have been collected.
- Hold a neighborhood yard or bake sale and donate proceeds to an organization in need.
- For an entire week or two, everyone in the family skips the “extras” Take the money you would have spent on after school treats, a special ice cream, or coffees from your favorite vendor, and collect it all in a jar. Watch it mount and donate to your local food pantry to help others get the essentials foods they need.
- Teach the next generation about the importance of pro bono service. Read them Mommy and Daddy do it Pro Bono to introduce all the budding professionals in your life to pro bono.
It’s not specific to Tuesday, but we fill November and December with random acts of kindness and donate to animal shelters and organizations that collect items for kids. I’m glad they’ve started the Giving Tuesday movement to bring awareness of GIVING amid the crazy SHOPPING going on this week!
Last year my daughter ran a cold weather coat drive. We’re going to try to organize that with both her middle school and her sibling’s schools as well.