Every year, Americans run through the cycle of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, all dedicated to finding deals for gifts, necessities and everything in between.
Once that routine is done, though, comes Giving Tuesday, a day dedicated to giving back. This year, Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine spoke to Asha Curran in New York City, the CEO of GivingTuesday, an independent nonprofit organization that connects nonprofits around the globe.
Hear from Curran about the meaning of Giving Tuesday, its impact and what you can do.
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Kiplinger: GivingTuesday has become a global movement. How do you describe what it’s about?
AC: GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: A day to encourage people to do good on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, following the consumption of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
And that’s still at the heart of it, but over the past 13 years, it’s grown into a year-round global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate and celebrate generosity. We now have official leadership in 111 countries.
Can you talk about the different ways people participate?
GivingTuesday celebrates giving in all of its forms, both monetary and non-monetary. So we celebrate acts of giving, in terms of donating goods like clothes, food or school supplies, caring for your community and neighbors, and performing random acts of kindness.
All of those are forms of generosity, and we believe every small act makes a major difference, especially when you think about those acts being collective. If a lot of people are each doing small things for a common goal, that adds up to a tremendous impact.
What are some of the most inspiring or creative ways that you’ve seen individuals, families or communities take part in GivingTuesday?
I love so much of it, including the creative campaigns that small nonprofits put together and the things that individuals do in their own communities. And I really love our community campaigns, with a small town, a major city or an entire state coming together to celebrate generosity.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
We’ve seen communities organize initiatives to clean up the streets, start community gardens and host community dinners, for example. Organizations, businesses, schools, local governments and families are creating a sense of pride in their communities. It’s all very joyful, lighthearted and future-focused.
For someone who might feel that their contribution—whether of time, money or skills — is too small to make a difference, what would you say?
Last year, $3.6 billion was donated on GivingTuesday. Over the course of GivingTuesday’s life, over $20 billion has been donated in the U.S. alone. Those are gifts of all sizes from everyday people.
So if you think your $25 or $50 donation isn’t going to make a difference, that’s absolutely incorrect. It will, and you are a drop in a big ocean created by many, many generous individuals.
People sometimes feel overwhelmed when choosing where and how to give back. How can they move from feeling stuck to taking action?
I would recommend a couple of things. One is to engage in a random act of kindness. Do something nice that you probably wouldn’t normally think to do for someone in your community. Make a meal for an elderly neighbor, or write a thank-you letter to a local organization or one of its volunteers or staff members. There are a million small acts you can do that don’t require money at all.
My second recommendation is to give in honor of someone else. On GivingTuesday, you’ll see people post on social media about donating to all kinds of causes. If one of them particularly moves you, or if a friend or a family member cares a lot about a certain cause, then donate in their honor.
And maybe that opens the door to your future giving, too, as you become more knowledgeable about the causes and issues that affect populations half a world away or in your own backyard.
Note: This item first appeared in Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine, a monthly, trustworthy source of advice and guidance. Subscribe to help you make more money and keep more of the money you make here.