#GivingTuesday – A Cacophony of Asks

After the uncertainty that 2020 brought, we certainly welcome the hope and sense of normalcy that we’ve started to experience this year. Fortunately, the way that we invest in our community is one thing that the pandemic couldn’t take from us, and in fact, it highlighted the critical role of philanthropy in our communities.

As the holiday season approaches, donors have the opportunity to drive their philanthropic investments to help achieve their goals and support charities and causes they believe in. We expect that the asks coming from charities will be frequent this year as the pandemic has had significant impacts on their fundraising abilities, affected volunteer opportunities, and increased demand for their services. More than ever, your investment will have a significant impact.

About #GivingTuesday

The holiday season of giving kicks off on November 30th, with #GivingTuesday, and this is a great time to start evaluating the way you give. #GivingTuesday is a global giving movement driven by charities to increase donations from individuals, businesses and communities around the world. While we are expecting charities to ramp up their requests this holiday season, we encourage you this #GivingTuesday, to think strategically about how you donate, and look at overall needs of the community and how their organization addresses those needs.

This holiday season consider the type of community you envision, the agencies you are walking alongside and supporting, and ask yourself, “Am I being pulled into this relationship or am I standing there because I genuinely engaged in the partnership?” Some questions to reflect on to help you make those strategic giving decisions going into #GivingTuesday and the 2021 giving season are (we also provided you with a tools to help answer those questions):

• What type of philanthropist do I aspire to be?
• Who are some community leaders that inspire me?
• What was the most amazing gift (tangible or intangible) I have ever received?
• What does it feel like when I give something?
• What has been my most memorable volunteer experience? Why is that?
• What other assets (The 4 T’s) do I bring to the table in addition to, or instead of, my treasures?

We believe that everyone can be a philanthropist. So in the times where the requests are many, resources are finite, and your investment will be more impactful than ever, it has never been more important to make sure that your investment aligns with your values, your goals, and to contribute to the vision of a community that you are building.