Since 2012, the Tuesday after the Thanksgiving holiday, known as Giving Tuesday, has been a unique community engagement tool for many organizations, including nonprofits, schools, universities, local businesses, foundations and more, around the world. Giving Tuesday was established at the 92nd St Y and its Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact in New York City, New York. Now, the nonprofit, GivingTuesday, “inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate and celebrate generosity”.
Over the last 10 years, Giving Tuesday has made significant impact for many organizations. According to the 2021 GivingTuesday annual impact report, social media activity was present in every country and territory in the world. In the United States, $2.7 billion was raised on November 30, 2021.* This is a 9% increase from 2020 (37% increase from pre-pandemic giving).*
Giving More Than Just Money
A common misconception, though, is that Giving Tuesday is only for individuals who can give a monetary donation. While certainly the most common engagement mechanism (17.8 million individuals in the United States made a monetary donation for 2021 Giving Tuesday*), there are three additional ways individuals can connect with organizations close to them –
- Spread the Word – 13.5 million shared about Giving Tuesday on their social media platform.*
- Volunteer – 9.7 million volunteered their time (38% increase from 2020).*
- Donated Goods – 10.2 million donated goods, such as food (5% increase from 2020).*
What Impact Can You Make on 2022 Giving Tuesday
This year, 2022 Giving Tuesday is on Tuesday, November 29. It’s completely up to you how many and how much you’d like to engage with organizations close to you. What’s important is that your engagement is meaningful to you.
Some ways you could engage with AgeWell Services include, in no particular order –
- Spread the Word – follow and like our social media platforms. We’re on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. If a post is meaningful to you, we encourage you to share on your social media! You can also subscribe to our e-newsletter here.
- Volunteer – providing six different services to older adults in Muskegon, Oceana and Ottaway counties of West Michigan can’t happen without volunteers. Check out this blog post from our Volunteer Coordinator, Jessica Squires, about why volunteering is important to her. If you’re interested, you can create learn more and create a profile by going to our website.
- Donate In-Kind Items – our annual Heels for Meals & More fundraiser event is currently seeking in-kind donations for our auctions. This annual event supports all of our programs. Check out our website to learn more.
- Monetarily Donate – last year, donors were able to support the repair of an engine for a Senior Medical Transportation vehicle. This year, you can help purchase five new tire sets and five new floor mats for our Senior Medical Transportation program. These vehicles log thousands of miles safely transporting older adults in Muskegon County to non-emergency medical transportation at absolutely no cost to the rider. You can donate through this link.
Whichever way you choose to engage with AgeWell Services or other organizations this 2022 Giving Tuesday, remember that the impact you make will spread father than you can imagine. As Kevin Heath said – “No act of kindness is too small. The gift of kindness may start as a small ripple that over time can turn into a tidal wave affecting the lives of many.”
*All data and figures provided in the above is from the 2021 GivingTuesday annual impact report.
