Making the Biggest Impact on #Giving Tuesday 2017

#Giving Tuesday is just a week away. How will you make an impact on others this year?

One of the most special times of the year is #Giving Tuesday. This is a day when people come together all over the world in an effort to help others through volunteerism, financial gifts, and telling their social communities about the causes they are passionate about. Let’s not forget that volunteerism and fundraising are important year-round but on #GivingTuesday the message of hope and community is accelerated on a national scale. In 2015, a total of 98 countries participated in #Giving Tuesday raising an estimated 177 million online dollars. It is truly amazing what people can do when they come together for the greater good.  #Giving Tuesday is always the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. The date of this event in 2017 is November 28. How are you going to make the biggest impact on #Giving Tuesday 2017? Here are a few ways to get involved.

Give the Gift of Time

Sometimes the greatest gift that you can provide is your time. Nonprofit organizations all around the world are looking for volunteers to help them carry out their mission. Why not commit to volunteerism to play your part in #Giving Tuesday? The act of volunteerism has been shown to provide a volunteer with many health-related benefits including decreased stress, improved mood, and a sense of greater good. Becoming a volunteer and providing service is a great way to have an impact on yourself while having an impact on others too.

Donate to an Organization and Mission that You Believe In

Nonprofit organizations also rely heavily on financial contributions from donors and fundraising campaigns. Providing an organization with a financial gift or a pledge on #Giving Tuesday is an excellent way to help that organization achieve their goals. Finding a nonprofit that is aligned with your personal values and is working towards making an impact on an issue you are passionate about does not need to be challenging. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when choosing where to make a financial contribution on #GivingTuesday or any other time of the year:

·       Does the nonprofit provide data on the progress it has made towards its goals?  How does the organization measure success?

·       Do the nonprofit’s goals align with your personal goals and values?

·       Does the organization offer additional opportunities for you to become involved outside of financial commitments?

·       Is the organization going to make a positive impact on your local community?

·       Have you checked the legitimacy of the organizations you are considering?

·       Are you trusting your instincts and listening to your heart during the identification process?

Influence Others to Become Involved in Giving

One of the best ways that you can help out during #Giving Tuesday is by letting others know about your favorite nonprofit or cause based initiative. In 2015, #Giving Tuesday sparked 2.4 Million social media engagements. The action of letting others know about nonprofit initiatives is not challenging. All you need to do is like and share your favorite nonprofit’s campaign content. Most of us have access to communities that have not been touched by a specific nonprofits call-to-action. Help the organization you stand behind reach that audience and broadcast their mission to the world.

Make a Commitment to Donate Regularly

#Giving Tuesday is a great time of the year to plan your giving contributions for 2018. As mentioned previously in the post these contributions could be your time, financial resources, commitment to spreading the word or a combination of all of them. Use #Giving Tuesday as a motivator for making contributions year-round to the greater good.

Takeaways

#Giving Tuesday is quickly approaching and there are ways that we can all have an impact on the success of the initiative. There are plenty of options to provide your time, give a financial contribution, and share a nonprofits campaign with your direct community. Let’s make #Giving Tuesday 2017 one for the record books and touch as many lives as possible this year.

Thanks to Eric Burger