What Is Giving Tuesday And How Can I Partake?

In 2012, the Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact in New York City came up with the idea of Giving Tuesday. It started as a national day for people to practice kindness, gratitude, and care for others. Since the beginning, the Giving Tuesday team has become a global generosity movement that advocates for radical generosity. The concept of radical generosity is focused on the belief that our everyday actions have the power to drive significant positive change. 

The annual Giving Tuesday event occurs during the holiday season each year, on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It’s a global day that encourages people to be more compassionate and generous. However, the Giving Tuesday nonprofit recommends celebrating the event even more frequently for maximum impact. They suggest doing at least one kind act for someone else in your community or around the world, one Tuesday each month.

What does the Giving Tuesday nonprofit do? 

The nonprofit GivingTuesday (GT) is the founding organization of the global Giving Tuesday event each November. The original goal of the Giving Tuesday campaign was to inspire others to have kindness and empathy and donate life-saving supplies or money to nonprofits or people within their communities. This year, the official Giving Tuesday date will be December 3rd, 2024, a day that falls within the giving season. 

GivingTuesday chapters have worked directly in over 260 areas worldwide and over 80 American cities to provide relief and offer support, including free food, fundraisers for social causes, classes, and immigrant health outreach, among others. 

Giving Tuesday is not just a giving day for individuals; it’s also an opportunity for small businesses and organizations to participate and give back to their communities. Individuals might work with their own organization or small business to support a nonprofit organization. 

How can I participate in Giving Tuesday? 

If you want to participate in Giving Tuesday, GT recommends practicing an act of kindness every Tuesday or one Tuesday per month. An act of kindness doesn't necessarily have to be a significant or expensive task. Read on for more suggestions—large and small—on how to celebrate Giving Tuesday in November or year-round. Since studies have shown that both the giver and the receiver can experience the positive mental and even physical health effects of generosity, adopting one or more of these into your regular routine can be beneficial to you and those around you.

Volunteer for an organization 

One way to positively impact your community and/or the planet is to consider engaging in volunteer work. You might also consider supporting an organization whose mission you’re passionate about in your local community, which might involve spreading the word to raise money for donations. There are various types of volunteer opportunities available, including but certainly not limited to the following: 

• Offering food and drink to unhoused populations 

• Working at a community food bank 

• Working at a domestic violence shelter 

• Organizing or helping out at food, clothing, or baby item drives

• Partaking in environmental clean-ups

• Helping at an animal shelter or fostering pets

If you're interested in volunteering, you can search for nonprofits or organizations in your area and reach out to them. You might also speak with friends and colleagues for recommendations of organizations they support that you could join. GivingTuesday also has a list of local GivingTuesday campaign branches worldwide on its website, so you can locate resources and ideas where you live.

Make care packages 

For Giving Tuesday, you might also consider making care packages for unhoused individuals, nursing homes, hospitals, LGBTQIA+ centers, emergency shelters, or domestic violence shelters. Your packages could include things like: 

• Warm socks

• A healthy snack

• A gift card to a local shop 

• Menstrual products 

• A kind note 

• A bottle of water

Tailor the items inside your package to the group of individuals you hope to help. Consider making it a regular occurrence if you can afford to do so. Remember that if you intend to donate these care packages to a specific organization or institution, it’s wise to check with them first to see if they accept such donations and what parameters or rules may apply if so.

Give a thoughtful gift

You could also give a gift to someone in your life to show appreciation and kindness. Giving gifts isn’t just for the holiday season; instead, it can be a semi-regular occurrence. For instance, you might put a special dessert in your child’s or spouse’s lunch, offer a refreshing beverage to your mail carrier or trash picker, or buy flowers for an elderly neighbor. It doesn’t have to cost much or anything at all, but a small, thoughtful gift can brighten someone’s day and show them that they are valued. 

Write positive notes of encouragement

Another way to put positivity and kindness out into the world is through a handwritten note. You might write out a card to a relative or friend you don’t speak to often, brightening their day with the experience of receiving a thoughtful piece of mail. You might even leave notes in public spaces where they have the potential to make a passerby smile. For instance, you could write one that says: 

• "You look beautiful today." 

• "You're doing amazing." 

• "I'm so proud of you!" 

• "Every day is a new day; keep on trying." 

• "You can make your dreams come true; I believe in you!" 

You might also consider spreading positivity through social media platforms. You can leave positive comments of encouragement or reach out to others who might need support. 

Sign up for a long-term volunteer project

If you hope to leave a long-term impact on your community and travel abroad, applying to work at a nonprofit or volunteer for a project in another country could be rewarding. Many organizations allow volunteers to apply to join them in providing aid to various communities around the world. You can find outreach programs across a wide variety of different sectors depending on your interests and skills, including:

• Social and humanitarian aid 

• Education and language

• Environmental studies and impact 

• Biology, plant, and animal work 

• Disaster relief and construction

• Research 

• Medical care 

For some programs, you may require a doctorate or master's degree in a particular field in order to offer aid. However, some nonprofits accept students, young adults, and those without experience or degrees. Many organizations offer room, board, and food for those accepted into the program. 

Make a generosity plan

Planning how to spread kindness in the future could be another good way to celebrate Giving Tuesday and to hold yourself accountable for doing so going forward. To get started, you might write a list of the acts of kindness or service you’d like to complete this year. Then, one Tuesday each month, complete one of the activities until you've checked off every item on the list. 

Make a donation

One of the main goals of Giving Tuesday is to raise money for nonprofit organizations, and every year, tens of thousands of people come together to support the causes they believe in. Some people find that they are too busy or otherwise unable to offer physical assistance or support to a nonprofit. In these cases, making a monthly online donation could be a valuable way to support a community you care about if your budget allows for it. The giving process has been simplified over the years, with many nonprofits offering the option of signing up for recurring donations so that you don't have to remember to give each time. Even $5 per month can make a difference. Forbes lists the top 100 charities donated to in 2021 for those who aren't sure where to start. 

Pay for someone's school lunch debt

Although buying someone's coffee at Starbucks can be a generous way to connect with others, most communities have others with more pressing needs that the same amount of money could significantly help. For example, many children and young people in the US have school lunch debt and can no longer buy meals at school. 

The Education Data Initiative reports that over 75% of schools in the US in 2021 had unpaid student breakfast and lunch debt, at an average of $170 per year per student. If you can donate this or a lower amount, you can help a child receive the nutrition they need to focus and feel energized at school for a year or more. To get started, you might call a local K–12 school to ask if you can contribute to their school lunch debt. 

Support young adults in need

If you are familiar with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, you are aware that many young adults struggle with disability issues. Many people find supporting the well-being of children to be rewarding, and there are many nonprofits dedicated to such causes. However, support for young adults between 18 and 25 is often overlooked, as they may be expected to receive support from family as they transition into living on their own. However, not all young adults have adequate family support. If you want to help young adults who may lack resources, you can search for nonprofits focused on the following: 

• Young adults experiencing cancer

• Autistic young adults

• Young adults with disabilities 

• LGBTQIA+ young adults 

• Young adults experiencing homelessness 

When young people go through a transitional period, dealing with homelessness, financial insecurity, a lack of social support, and other challenges and traumas can be difficult. Donating to or volunteering with a nonprofit that supports these groups or working to create your own could be a way to give back to the community's younger members. 

If you are experiencing trauma, support is available. Please see our Get Help Now page for more resources.

Why is generosity important? 

Generosity is a way to show others that you care, benefiting all parties involved and affirming our humanity. Studies have shown a connection between healthy interpersonal interactions like those listed in this article and an individual’s mental and physical health. Other research even shows that practicing acts of kindness can increase the giver’s life satisfaction. Plus, showing generosity to others can inspire them to do the same, creating a ripple effect that can have a major impact. Giving selflessly of your time, energy, or money to someone else is a positive way to show love and support to those in your community and beyond.

Cultivating a sense of generosity

It can sometimes feel challenging to give to others when we have trouble giving to ourselves. Generosity toward oneself can be a method of self-compassion, which can improve one’s own emotional resilience and potentially overflow into generosity towards others. For those who are looking to increase their levels of generosity both inwardly and outwardly, speaking with a therapist can be helpful. They can assist you in increasing self-esteem, setting and reaching goals, and handling any other emotional or mental health challenges you may be facing. 

Research suggests that online and in-person therapy can offer similar benefits in many cases, which means that people can typically choose the format that works best for them. If you have a busy schedule, trouble locating providers in your area, difficulty in reliable transportation, or simply prefer to meet with a therapist from the comfort of home, you might consider online therapy. With a virtual therapy platform like BetterHelp, for instance, you can get matched with a licensed therapist who you can meet with via phone, video call, and/or online chat to address the challenges you may be facing.