What is #GivingTuesday?
“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.”
#GivingTuesday, or the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, is a national day of giving. It’s a chance for everyone to make a difference in large or small ways for the charities they love. In 2022, the date is November 29.
Why the #?
Giving is not a new concept; giving any size gift is not new either. What’s different about #GivingTuesday is that this was the first time the power of social media was harnessed to move hearts and minds toward one thing—giving back. When used on social media, hashtags (#s) group similar messages together.
Who thought of this?
#GivingTuesday was the brainchild of Henry Timms of the 92 Street YMCA in New York City in 2012. The YMCA was joined by the United Nations Foundation to create a day to do good.
Why this Tuesday?
The Tuesday after Thanksgiving was chosen to kick-off the giving season and to counteract four days of massive consumption – Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday.
How did they get the word out about this new idea?
They weren't alone. There were multiple founding partners including DonorsChoose.org, Mashable, Blackbaud, charity: water, GlobalGiving, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Kiva, Darden Restaurant Group, Groupon, Unilever and VENTURE3Capital. Together, they used social media platforms to get the word out.
How long did that take?
That’s the beauty of social media – it did not take long. They announced this concept only one month before November 27, 2012, the first #GivingTuesday.
Did it work?
Turns out, it did. That first year giving on November 27 totaled about $10 million. The next year it jumped to $28 million. Last year, 2020, #GivingTuesday resulted in $2.47 billion (yes -- BILLION) in giving!
“This groundswell of giving reaffirms that generosity is universal and powerful, and that it acts as an antidote to fear, division, and isolation,” said Asha Curran, co-founder and CEO of #GivingTuesday, announcing the 2020 results.
What can YOU do on #GivingTuesday?
The simple answer is GIVE to your favorite not-for-profit, but it’s really much more than that. You can use that day to kick-off your own season of generosity whether it’s sharing a smile with a neighbor, donating to a food drive, advocating for the disenfranchised and underserved, or teaching others about the power of giving.
We recommend giving to Food Equality Initiative by purchasing tickets to our Free-From Gala!
“. . .every act of generosity counts and everyone has something to give.”