#GivingTuesday is a global initiative launched just five years ago with the goal of bringing charities, families, businesses, community centers and students around the world together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give.
The annual day of giving is held each year on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The idea is that we just had a day of thanks, and two days of getting, so it’s only appropriate that we close it all out with a day of giving.
It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. It doesn’t even have to be an organized thing. The goal is to simply find a way for you, your family, your community or your company to join forces and give something more.
The global tradition of spreading kindness and generosity is just what this world needs!
Here Are 10 Ways to Use Your Generosity for GOOD This #GivingTuesday.
Treat Someone
The sure way to people’s hearts is always through their stomach. So whether you take a friend to lunch, a colleague to coffee or a homeless man to dinner, do something special today to treat someone in your life with the one thing that is guaranteed to brighten their day: food.
Share a Gift Card
You don’t have to break the bank to make someone’s day. These days it’s easy to treat someone without even being there with them. Load a gift card to Starbucks or Chick-Fil-A online and post your QR code to spread the giving. Friends can present the code at the restaurant to take advantage of your Because nothing says contagious generosity like the Lord’s Chicken!
Random Acts of Kindness
Maybe when you go out for lunch today, you’ll be reminded of #GivingTuesday and make the decision to “pay it forward.” Whether you’re in the drive-thru, sitting down inside of a restaurant, or ordering at a register, it’s easy to add a stranger’s tab to your own.
Community Outreach
This time of year is particularly popular for donations, help at homeless shelters, and packaging holiday boxes for families in need. Get connected with a local church or community organization that’s spreading kindness on this #GivingTuesday, and see what you can do to be a part!
Facebook Donation Campaigns
Whether you start your own campaign or financially support someone else’s, Facebook is providing a number of ways to spread kindness on this #GivingTuesday. What’s better is that in partnership with Bill and Melinda Gates, Facebook has agreed to match up to $2 million in donations to fundraisers held on the social media platform today. They’re also waiving the typical 5 percent fee on donations to U.S.-based nonprofits all day long.
Meet a Neighbor
It might sound silly, but in our technological world today, it can be easy to come and go, without ever knowing the people who live around you. Whether you know them or not, take time on this #GivingTuesday to bake some cookies or bring a meal to a neighbor near you.
Hang With the Elders
Nursing homes everywhere are filled with people who have a lot of life left to live, but are often constrained to the walls of the caregiving facility. Spend your lunch break visiting with our elderly neighbors on this #GivingTuesday. You can simply sit and chat, play games or even bring some nail polish and serve up some quality manicures.
Offer Your Services
Take today and give a set of parents in your life a much-needed break by offering to babysit for the evening. Maybe you can offer your truck and your muscles to help someone move, or to help deliver coats, food and necessities to homeless people in town. Perhaps you are a housekeeper extraordinaire and know a single mom who really just needs help organizing. Get creative with it, and offer yourself in whatever ways might help someone on this #GivingTuesday.
Tip Generously
If you’re anything like me, you probably tip somewhere between 15-20 percent when you go out to eat. Well, this #GivingTuesday sounds like the perfect night to go out for dinner and to leave a generous tip for your waitress. It doesn’t have to be some elaborate $5,000 tip, just simply more than the usual percentage.
Spread Awareness
If you couldn’t already tell, the hashtag, #GivingTuesday is trending, and it’s an excellent way to start the conversation about the day of giving. Whether you use it to tag the photo of your QR code for Chick-Fil-A, or simply in a status to coordinate a group effort, use the hashtag and spread awareness for a cause that’s close to your heart today.
We all have the power to do good. Sometimes it just takes a little reminder of how easy it is to do something more for the people around us.
Join us this #GivingTuesday as we spread love, kindness and generosity in our communities.
