Giving Tuesday: For The Whole Family

By Paul@Lulu / November 24, 2020

With the year’s biggest shopping holiday right around the corner, we want to take a step back today and talk about something other than buying. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are huge days for businesses across America; from the biggest retailers to the smallest independent creators. But on Tuesday, it's time to give back.

We call it Giving Tuesday. It’s like an affront to the consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Since 2012, the Giving Tuesday organization has helped facilitate global generosity efforts. They organize giving efforts, not just on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, but all year long. And they aggregate information about a number of other charitable programs.

Why Giving Matters

It’s about more than just doing good! In fact, studies have shown that being generous is both physically and mentally healthy. And as the year winds down, it’s the perfect time to consider giving to a charitable cause.

It’s important to understand that ‘giving’ doesn’t have to mean opening your wallet either. While it’s often the easiest for us to donate money to a cause we care about, if giving money isn’t an option for you, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities!

Giving is good for you, good for the people you give to, and easy to do! So all you need is some inspiration, right? 

We’ve got you covered.

Educational Giving

These groups support educational initiatives in America. Each one has a unique mission as it pertains to improving or expanding education. These are just three of our favorite national groups you could give to. 

You can also find a local charity (learn more at the end of this article) to donate to. Or better yet, maybe you could volunteer to teach an after school or weekend program? Giving locally is always a good idea, but if you are just looking for a great way to help organizations promoting more and better education, these national groups are a great choice.

 

Literary Giving

This one is near and dear to me. From supporting homemade libraries to bringing books to kids around the world, supporting literacy is one of the most important ways you can give. 

It’s also one of the easiest. Just give people books! Seriously, it’s that easy. If you read something and loved it, share it! 

That said, I know we can’t always give away all of our books. So here are a few awesome ways you can help support literacy, in your community and globally:

 

Teaching Kids How To Give Back

Giving Tuesday and all kinds of other charity initiatives present a terrific opportunity to help kids learn about the value of giving. It is vital that we help kids learn how important (and rewarding!) helping others can be. Now more than ever.

And rather than reinvent the wheel, we’ve got a list of volunteer ideas and opportunities specifically geared toward kids from We Are Teachers:

Giving Back This Year

It doesn’t have to be the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It doesn’t even have to be a Tuesday! Just take a moment before the year ends to think about what really matters to you. It could be literacy or hunger. Or it might be music or exercise. 

Giving can be both a learning opportunity for kids and a great way to bring the whole family together. 

One amazing resource is this empathy-building lesson plan from tolerance.org. It’s geared toward kids, but the lessons apply to anyone and everyone.