Have you heard about the big social media movement the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving?
Thankfully, it’s not a sales gimmick. It’s called #GivingTuesday, and like so many things on social media, it has its own special hashtag.
#GivingTuesday is designed as a way to give back during this busy holiday season when so much else is focused on the latest sale or how to get the best buy.
Here’s the idea. Make Tuesday the day to give to the charity of your choice, local or national.
This started as a bit of a marketing campaign. There’s a fascinating story about how Henry Timms of the 92nd Street Y in New York developed the idea and built it into the worldwide movement it has become.
It’s really exciting that people have so embraced the idea of giving and are spreading the word.
Why, you might ask? Well, there’s a really interesting article from the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California Berkeley that answer that very question:
- Giving makes us feel happy
- Giving is good for our health
- Giving promotes cooperation and social connection
- Giving evokes gratitude
- Giving is contagious.
What’s cool is these aren’t just platitudes. These conclusions are based on scientific research.
Regardless of why, when, or how much you give, #GivingTuesday is such a great reminder of how meaningful it is to donate to a worthwhile cause. Need some tips on finding the right charity? Check out Charity Navigator if you need some help thinking through the best charities to support.
Charity Navigator, by the way, has all kinds of resources and a really good blog posting about #GivingTuesday.
Many companies encourage employees to give to charitable causes and facilitate it for them. We do, and we call it the Community Giving Campaign.
Our charitable foundation matches donations by individual employees up to $1,500.
We applaud our employees and companies around the country that do something similar. We encourage everyone to get involved, on #GivingTuesday, and every day.
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