Payaway the Layaway Blog
We all know how we spend our Thanksgiving Weekend. It is turkey and family on Thursday, holiday deals at the mall on Friday, and online on Monday. But don’t forget Giving Tuesday, which is the day set aside to give to your favorite nonprofit organizations. It’s become an American tradition, but where did the concept of Giving Tuesday come from?
Giving Tuesday was born at the 92nd Street Y and the Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact in New York City in 2012. The idea was simple: create a day that encourages people to do good. Every year since then, Giving Tuesday has set new records of exponential growth.
Giving Tuesday is now the second-largest giving day of the year, with December 31 being the largest.
Giving Tuesday has become a global movement that inspires “hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate on acts of kindness, and celebrate generosity”. The organizers strive to build a world where the power of generosity is at the heart of every community, unlocking dignity, opportunity, and equity around the globe. Wouldn’t you like to live in a world where generosity is part of everyday life?
It has also inspired other sorts of Giving Days, built around communities or specific needs. Nonprofits or sponsor organizations bring supporters together to host a day of fundraising by uniting to raise awareness for the cause. The combination of community pride and urgent need can educate and inspire new donors to give and existing donors to give again. For example, in 2017, New York City’s #NYGivesDay raised $15.7 million in just 24 hours to support nonprofit organizations throughout the state.
Before 2020, many local Giving Days would most likely include an in-person event. Many Giving Tuesday plans featured local celebrity appearances or volunteer events. While these awareness-building events were an impactful way to get attendees excited to give, they are limited in their reach to only people who are nearby and have the time to attend. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the ability to gather in groups became impossible. Digital engagement became the best way to reach a target audience. While the road may have been bumpy for many nonprofits and organizations planning Giving Days, that uncertainty was mitigated by the ability to tell their story to more people online. The barriers of location and capacity were drastically decreased.
As COVID hit and caused unprecedented worldwide need, the Giving Tuesday organization launched #GivingTuesdayNow on May 5, 2020, to celebrate generosity through acts of kindness, donations of goods, time, money, advocacy for causes, and care for family and friends. People from over 145 countries came together for one day of shared solidarity, to present a united front of hope when many are facing challenges due to the pandemic. The day raised $503 million in 24 hours to support front-line organizations.
One of the most interesting ideas that have come out of the pandemic is the shift around thinking that a community giving day has an impact only on the day itself. The most effective giving days help move supporters from casual to committed. Community giving days have helped save many nonprofits from closing during the pandemic. The only reason these types of events can continue to flourish is through the further investment of time, treasure, and talent into the day itself.
