Tuesday, December 3, 2019

We have a day for giving thanks. We have two for getting deals. Now, we have #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back. On the Tuesday after Thanksgiving charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Quite simply, take advantage of all the holiday deals to add to your charitable giving. Combined with your family, friends, local and national organizations and through the power of social media, National Day of Giving can become a tradition worth passing on. Use #GivingTuesday to post on social Media.

HISTORY

In 2012, 92nd Street Y in New York City created National Day of Giving to bring focus to the charitable season in the wake of the commercialized Black Friday and Cyber Monday. More commonly referred to as #GivingTuesday, National Day of Giving harnesses the power of social media to give back around the world and throughout the year.

RECORD BROKEN

Blackbaud, a software company that serves many nonprofits, reported that it processed $47.7 million in online donations Tuesday, November 29, 2016 for more than 6,700 organizations — a 20 percent increase in giving over last year. It said 22 percent of the donations were made via a mobile device.

In its first year in 2012, under the aegis of the 92nd Street Y, Giving Tuesday generated about $10 million in donations after being pitched as a way to promote charity on the heels of Thanksgiving weekend's big shopping days. In subsequent years, it has mushroomed into a decentralized global movement, with nonprofits of all types soliciting donations, promoting volunteerism and encouraging acts of kindness.

The 92nd Street Y received detailed reports from many of the participating organizations. Among them:

• A Baltimore nonprofit called Thread organized a "Love Notes to Baltimore" campaign in which residents wrote uplifting messages in chalk on streets.

• Volunteers in Bethel, Alaska, stood in below-zero weather to accept donations for local nonprofits.

• The Humane Society of the United States exceeded its target of $200,000, with a total of $350,000 raised.

• UM's campaign raised $5.5 million in 24 hours, compared to $4.3 million last year. The university reported that 7,364 donors contributed to "Giving Blueday 2016."

Numerous progressive organizations, in their Giving Tuesday appeals, made reference to the recent election victories of Donald Trump and congressional Republicans.

"When I look around today, I see how far we've come — and how far we have left to go now that Donald Trump has been elected," said an appeal from Barbara Miller, who serves on the board of the National Organization for Women.

On the right flank, the conservative Media Research Center appealed for donations to help it counter "the liberal media."

Henry Timms, executive director of the 92nd Street Y and co-founder of Giving Tuesday, said the event's success was due to "the work of ordinary people all over the country."

"For all those things that may divide us, we all share a proud tradition of giving," he said.