‘For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.’
However, that’s a rather loose interpretation of Newton’s Third Law of physics. A law we sometimes take too literally and apply to all kinds of situations.
Strictly, in scientific terms, Newton was talking about the motion of objects, not about life, feelings, or emotions. And most certainly not about a national day of giving.
However, if we consider the billions of dollars spent on Black Friday and Cyber Monday as an action, then we must also consider Giving Tuesday – a day dedicated to charitable giving – as the reaction, the law makes sense.
But what is Giving Tuesday?
Be the change you want to see in the world
Shop via rewards app, get cashback and donate to charity. You can donate your cashback to reputable charities, including UNICEF, American Red Cross, WWF and many others. Be the change!
The history of Giving Tuesday
Giving Tuesday was born in the US in 2012 in a collaboration between the United Nations Foundation and the 92nd Street Y Community Centre in New York City.
The impetus behind the existence of Giving Tuesday was that a day of giving and sharing could act as a countermeasure to the excessive spending of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Despite its modest beginnings, the initiative has become a global generosity movement benefitting individuals, communities, charities, and nonprofit organizations everywhere.
It is a day when people come together and give their time, their goods, and their money, and show their willingness to become part of a solution for the common good.
Following the spending frenzy of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and the traditional start to the holiday shopping season, Giving Tuesday is meant to refocus our attention away from the world of commercialism and consumerism.
Instead, it is intended to focus our attention on those less fortunate than ourselves.
Giving Tuesday always falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
In 2022 the global day of giving will fall on Tuesday, November 29.
For anyone who might be skeptical about the relevance of Giving Tuesday, it might be good to note that in 2021 more than $2.7 billion was donated in the United States alone through various fundraising efforts.
How does Giving Tuesday work?
Giving Tuesday was founded with the vision of a world built on shared humanity and generosity.
Under the banner of a global network, the organization works year-round to nurture a mood of generosity wherever it can.
The Giving Tuesday mission is not only to offer assistance in times of famine, war, or natural disasters, but it exists to encourage people to create an ethos of generosity in their community at all times. To make others smile, to help a neighbor or a stranger in need, to volunteer time for something you care about, and to give what you can afford to those most in need.
Even if you don’t realize it, everyone has something to give.
Radical Generosity for Giving Tuesday
At times of global crisis, pandemic, war, famine, and natural disasters many of us look to philanthropists and charitable organizations like the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, to offer financial support.
We turn to policymakers and grantmakers to fix outdated or non-functioning systems.
We turn to NGOs to put people on the ground and offer the help needed.
However, Giving Tuesday and the organization behind it (givingtuesday.org) believe that our everyday actions and decisions can be a source of power to drive positive change. They call it radical generosity.
Radical generosity is a concept based on the idea ‘that the suffering of others should be as intolerable to us as our own suffering.’ And, it invites people to give and to do what they can to be the change that they want to see.
Radical generosity includes calls to action that go further than merely giving but also includes donation matching and volunteering.
- Donation Matching – on Giving Tuesday, companies financially match donations raised by their employees for nonprofit organizations. Companies can match the donations on a 1:1 ratio, but many go much further and give much more.
- Volunteering – giving your time can be every bit as important as giving hard cash. Many community organizations are cash-rich but labor poor and need boots on the ground more than anything else. If you have some spare time, as part of Giving Tuesday 2022 you too can become part of the global giving movement.
Fundraising efforts and volunteering
Charitable donations come in all shapes and sizes, not just in cash.
Maybe you’d like to get your holiday season off to the right start by playing your part in the giving season. But maybe you don’t know what to do, where to help, or how to volunteer.
Here are some Giving Tuesday ideas that you can carry on throughout the year.
- Put on your apron – help out in your local soup kitchen or open a free pantry in the community
- Give blood – give a stranger the gift of life
- Donate to nonprofit organizations – especially those doing work that aligns with your personal values. Also, by donating money to charities in your own community you’ll see the difference first-hand
- Pay it forward – on Giving Tuesday pay for the next person’s order at the coffee shop, or leave cash to pay for a coffee or meal for someone less well off. But why wait for Giving Tuesday to do a good deed, why not start today?
- Be kind – saying a few nice words or leaving a positive review can make the world of difference to someone you may or may not even know
- Give homeless people a lift – gather and donate things homeless people might need as winter sets in; snacks and bottled water, bandages, lip balm, vitamin C, socks, sanitary products, hand sanitizer, wipes, gloves, hats, scarves, and warm clothing
- Speak up – use social media to advertise your favorite charity or cause. Support community and social initiatives by emailing your local representative
- Total giving – start your own Giving Tuesday movement for a project close to your heart
- Love thy neighbor – see what you can do to help your neighbors who might be elderly, ill, or nervous. Help with yard work, do some shopping, there are multiple ways you can help
- Donate your skills – Use your talents to share with others. Whatever you’re good at, offer those skills to help others by giving classes, making posters, writing press releases, helping renovate an office, or any way you can
- Furry friends – Donate to or volunteer in an animal rescue center. Foster an animal or feed some strays for Giving Tuesday, and every day
- Clean up – Clean up a corner of your community, whether its and an abandoned allotment, a park, a riverbank, or a forest, share the news, and make it a community event.
- Grow it forward – plant a tree on Giving Tuesday and encourage others to do the same
- Hashtag – don’t forget to announce and encourage Giving Tuesday events on social media using the hashtag #GivingTuesday
How to donate with the Monetha app
Even if you plan to splurge on the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, you can still live up to the best aspirations of Giving Tuesday.
Monetha can help you do just that.
Monetha is a modern online shopping rewards app that has partnered with hundreds of online stores to bring you the very best deals and discounts all year round – including the holiday season.
Sign up and get welcome bonus
We love giving and it’s not just talk – that is why when you sign up to Monetha’s app, you get 2000 points as a welcome bonus. Accumulate points by shopping at Monetha partner stores and redeem great rewards, such as gift cards, cryptocurrencies and charity donations.
After you download the app, and sign up for free, for every purchase with any of the online partner stores, Monetha will reward you with valuable points.
The points can then be exchanged for gift cards, and cryptocurrencies, and most excitingly on Giving Tuesday you can claim your reward as a donation to the charity of your choice.
Charitable giving examples
With Monetha you don’t have to feel bad about spending money on new stuff when you know that you can make a positive difference on Giving Tuesday and every other time you shop online.
With a long list of globally-trusted charities to choose from, let’s take a moment to highlight just a few.
Clean Water Fund US
The Clean Water Fund’s mission is to develop strong environmental leadership and to bring together communities to help them work towards the changes that improve their lives. The charity is mainly focused on assisting with solving health, consumer, environmental, and community problems.
UNICEF US
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) conducts operations in more than 190 countries to help put children first. The organization improves the lives of children through the provision of health care, immunizations, clean water, nutrition, education, sanitation, emergency relief, and lots more.
American Red Cross
Wherever there’s a disaster, whether it’s a hurricane or tornado, a famine or a natural catastrophe, American Red Cross volunteers and staff are there to deliver vital emergency services. Their aspirations are to turn compassion into action so that those affected by disasters can quickly receive care, shelter, hope, and the practicalities of life.
The Nature Conservancy US
The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. With the support of over 1 million members, the Conservancy has a premier record of success since it was founded in 1951. It has already protected more than 119 million acres of land and thousands of miles of waterways in 69 countries around the world.
The American Cancer Society
There is hardly one family on the planet that hasn’t been touched by the hand of cancer. For more than 100 years, the American Cancer Society (ACS) has been leading the battle to prevent, detect, and treat the scourge of cancer. The society works on the principle of helping cancer sufferers regardless of race, income, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, religion, or where they live.
Conclusion
As we said at the outset, Giving Tuesday is the perfect antidote to the extremes of the holiday shopping season.
You can always choose to organize your own Giving Tuesday day of giving, volunteer to help others, join an existing event, or inspire other people to do good.
Or, if you feel guilty about your spending on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, you can sign up for a rewards program like Monetha and donate your earnings to charity.
Download the app, start shopping, and donate the points you’ve earned to the charity of your choice. It couldn’t be easier, and it’s free to join.
This way, you can make every day, not just Giving Tuesday, a giving day.
Be the change you want to see in the world
Shop via rewards app, get cashback and donate to charity. You can donate your cashback to reputable charities, including UNICEF, American Red Cross, WWF and many others. Be the change!
