Every year, on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, people take the time to kick off the holiday season by giving back to their community. Whether it is donating money to a charitable cause or volunteering, Giving Tuesday is a day set to benefit the community.

Giving Tuesday was founded in 2012 by New York’s 92nd Street Y in partnership with the United Nations Foundation. The holiday was first announced in September 2012, two months prior to the first Giving Tuesday occurring on November 27. The announcement was made by the technology website, Mashable. The purpose of the day is to inspire people and companies to take action, just like Black Friday and Cyber Monday created a framework for retailers to sell merchandise.

Shortly before and after November 27, 2012, Giving Tuesday was covered by “The Washington Post,” the White House official blog, ABC News, and “Huffington Post.” Forbes also used the occasion to publish a guide on effective giving.

In 2013, Mashable partnered with Google+ to hold a ‘hangout-a-thon’ for Giving Tuesday. The holiday received coverage on many philanthropy information websites, including “The Chronicle of Philanthropy” and Charity Navigator. “The Chronicle of Philanthropy” article highlighted a donation by Good Ventures to GiveDirectly, Google’s hangout-a-thon, and matching grants announced by the Case Foundation. Charitable giving on Giving Tuesday in 2013 was approximately twice the value of that in 2012, with over 7,000 participating nonprofits.

For the 2018 holiday occurrence, Facebook and PayPal announced they’d match up to $7 million in donations to United States nonprofits on a first come first serve basis. The match limit was hit after only an hour, with an announcement saying the match was achieved within seconds. A total of $125 million was raised via Facebook on Giving Tuesday, the highest for a single day on the platform.

Think for a moment….

TAKE ACTION ON THIS GIVING TUESDAY

1. Donate to your favorite charity With an abundance of causes to support, there are many options for people to donate to charity. You can mail in a check, drop off some money, or even click ‘Donate’ from the comfort of your desk.
2. Volunteer We sometimes forget that one helpful way of giving back is by volunteering. Contact a local hospital, shelter, or nonprofit ahead of time and see how you can help. 
3. Donate clothes/shoesThat sweater you swore you would wear this fall (which never saw the light of day), can be of use to someone in need. Go through your closet and donate any articles of clothing you know you’re not going to wear again (or ever).