Generosity is one of the biggest human virtues we all appreciate. And even though it is just a word, there are so many things behind it. It’s everything you do, believe, and strive for, together with the cultural background and other contextual details that reveal your ability to be generous to other people – giving and doing good things!
Indeed, it is more than a virtue – generosity is an actual environment and value for most non-profits, fighting for the completion of the missions. But what is it like to be generous in a non-profit way of acting, and how can you implement this attitude in your organization’s regular activities? What is Giving Tuesday? Let’s take a closer look at the Giving Tuesday tradition and share Giving Tuesday ideas.
What’s behind Giving Tuesday?
There is always an idea behind each new thing. Giving Tuesday originates from the initiative by Carlo Lorenzo Garcia, who in 2011 made a suggestion to the Cyber Monday shoppers to consider making a donation, having completed their shopping plan for that day. The idea was quickly accepted by some philanthropic in the USA and quickly made it to European and other countries, becoming a new socially important trend.
Today, a #GivingTuesday hashtag is used to mark local and global generous initiatives that can actually be called a real social movement, directed at the global transformation of communities. In other words – the idea is to make this world a kinder place by making its inhabitants more generous or simply teaching them how to express their generosity, as well as creating opportunities for them to do it.
Sharing is caring
When people thank you for being generous, they really appreciate your ability to give even more than they expect, be it regular helping activities, one-time projects, or completely new outstanding social initiatives.
There are more than 80 countries that have already joined the initiative and run regular activities yearly. It means that Giving Tuesday is becoming a real generous habit, marked with a #GivingTueday hashtag, both original and localized. When localizing it for your community, you can add the name of the country, city, and community, as well as translate the “Giving Tuesday” into other languages.
People join the movement privately or as a part of a social initiative or organization. The more they know about the importance of this new giving tradition, the more they will spread the word about it, attracting new supporters.
Activities to join
The main idea to be wrapped and presented to socially active people is that every little bit helps.
The easiest way to see some Giving Tuesday campaign examples is to check Giving Tuesday Social Media posts by the organizations who follow this tradition to get inspired and define the direction of your own ones.
Start with an analysis of your usual daily and special events activities to see the most efficient ones. Efficient campaigns are not only the ones that attract the most donors or the most funds, but also those that your supporters find the most engaging. Include at least 1 engaging activity for each fundraising one. Moreover, you can start running engaging activities long before the actual holiday.
For example, start telling your supporters about the history of Giving Tuesday to introduce this tradition to them. Then explain what is Giving Tuesday for Canada. Make a fast overview of the activities and campaigns your friendly non-profits do and even consider making a collaborative one with a few. Emphasize the global importance of this tradition by creating a quiz, like sharing Giving Tuesday quotes, and letting your supporters guess their author.
Pay attention to the format and content of your publications. It is better to create some special templates for your Giving Tuesday graphics, following your brand style. This way you will make those publications stand out while they still fit your feed, and at the same time create visual associations for your supporters to remember this day and this holiday. Think about the call-to-action you will use for your action buttons, and about the “Thank You” message.
Decide on one big fundraising campaign that will include different small activities. Do not be afraid that it will not work out, as the correct promotion of the campaign will help its complete success. For example, Canadians have collected more than 40 million dollars last year within 24 hours of Giving Tuesday. The coming November will definitely be even more generous on the 29th of the month!
Remember the logo
Being a global initiative, there’s naturally an official Giving Tuesday logo that looks like a taped heart. Make sure your creatives feature this heart to mark that your initiatives and campaigns follow this tradition. Another tip is to head to the Giving Tuesday official website and check out pre-designed media elements you can use to create your own. It’s really helpful for organizations that do not have time or the opportunity to ask for the assistance of a professional designer.
The initiative has created and collected hundreds of static icons, dynamic animations, and Giving Tuesday heart logo options so that each organization could find a fitting visual element when announcing that they joined an initiative.
Giving Tuesday is coming…but when?
The first Tuesday after the celebration of Thanksgiving in the USA is always a giving one. To make it easier, note down the exact dates for the coming years:
- November 29, 2022
- November 28, 2023
- December 3, 2024
- December 2, 2025
Summarizing FAQ
How and when did Giving Tuesday start?
The idea of Giving Tuesday first appeared in 2011. November 29, to be precise. It was formulated and expressed by a current director of The Children organization director. It was first held in the USA. Now the initiative became global, and you can find local organizations in 80+ countries regularly organizing events raising money on post-Thanksgiving Tuesday.
How can non-profits join the Giving Tuesday initiative?
There are multiple options for becoming a part of a global social initiative: dedicate your time, raise some funds, share your skilled experts, spread the word, tell people about the initiative, and in any other way you want and can. Encourage people to join even if they have no possibility to volunteer or donate. They can donate things instead of money, help people around by, for example, explaining to them how to take care of the environment, or any other way.
Giving Tuesday values
#GivingTuesday aims at uniting non-profits & communities, businesses & media, educational institutions, state & private organizations in their ability to act generously for the sake of humanity.
When is Giving Tuesday?
The date of the holiday changes each year because it directly depends on Thanksgiving. You can mention the following dates on your Giving Tuesday poster or calendar in case you want your supporters and donors to remember the coming dates: the 29th of November for 2022, the 28th of November for 2023, the 3rd of December for 2024, and the 2nd of November for 2025.
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away”.
-Pablo Picasso
Giving Tuesday has become a real social trend in the modern world because the culture of giving basically helps get, upgrade, and improve empathic skills. Good things unite people and help non-profits grow. Don’t stop making a difference and Happy Giving Tuesday, Canada!
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