We rushed around the malls on Black Friday...
We swiped our cards at local spots on Small Business Saturday...
We even shopped from the comfort of our beds on Cyber Monday...
...Now it's time to give back on Giving Tuesday!
Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving Day, Giving Tuesday marks the beginning of the charitable, holiday season.
Since its inaugural year in 2012, Giving Tuesday has celebrated and supported giving and philanthropy -- with more than 10,000 organizations engaging in the day every year.
In 2016 alone:
- $168 million raised
- 2,399,092 social media engagements with #GivingTuesday
- 1.56 million total gifts
- $107.69 average spent on gifts
- 1 in 4 donated offline through cash, check or over-the-phone contributions
- 98+ countries and more than 40,000 nonprofits participated in #GivingTuesday
If you plan to give back this Tuesday, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance reminds you to give wisely and make the most of their generosity this holiday season:
- Watch out for name similarities
- When charities seek support for the same cause, their names are often similar. Before you give, be sure you have the exact name of the charity to avoid mistaken identity
- Avoid on-the-spot donation decisions from unfamiliar organizations
- The holidays bring a higher frequency of donation requests outside public locations. Don’t succumb to pressure to make an immediate giving decision
- Be wary of emotional appeals
- Marketers have been known to exploit the holidays to make emotional pleas to donors. Always research to verify that your selected charity operates ethically
- Avoid charities that don’t disclose
- Although participation is voluntary, charities that don’t disclose any of the requested information to BBB WGA raise a critical red flag for donors
- Rely on standards-based evaluations
- Charities can demonstrate they are trustworthy by agreeing to in-depth evaluations such as the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability
To search different giving opportunities near you, click here.