Happy December! It is a
frosty morning here south of Nashville, TN. And I’m warm and toasty in my cozy
home office. I know there are many, right here in my county that aren’t as fortunate.
That’s top of mind as I put together this post for Giving Tuesday. This year I’m
going to continue to help where I live. To that end, I’m donating food, toys,
clothes, books, diapers, anything I can to help local community outreach
programs and non profits. If you’d like to help out in your community and need some ideas on
where to get started, read on for Six ways you can give on Giving Tuesday.
About Giving Tuesday:
Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 as
a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past seven
years, because of you, this idea has grown into a global movement that inspires
hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.
Since becoming a Giving Tuesday Ambassador, I've tried to write a blog post or cover this special day on social media in the hopes of encouraging others to join us in our effort to help where and how we can.
Six Ways to Give:
Helping in
your own community is a great way to get started today. This first way speaks
to where my heart is.
1. Give Goods:
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Contact your
local community food banks, shelters, senior care centers, day care centers and
ask them if they have a wish list. Most of them will happily tell you what they
really need. Once you have a list of needs, go shopping in your home. It
feels so good to know a spare coat, unused books and toys are going to help someone.
Plus, you are clearing your clutter!
Go Shopping:
If it’s on
your heart to help with food and personal hygiene items, you’ll need to go
shopping. I suggest you take a few minutes to see who has the best price on the
items on your list. For instance, I want to donate diapers and women’s hygiene products
to women’s shelters and church outreach group because I read that a lot of
women won’t spend the night at a shelter because they don’t have access to
these items.
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Do you have an extra hour somewhere
in your week to volunteer? Check in with local nonprofits in your community to
see how you can plug in. By volunteering, you can give something back, make a
difference to the people around you, develop new skills, and learn more about
issues affecting your community.
Volunteering
is good for you!
Did you know the right volunteer opportunity
can help you reduce stress, find friends, and even advance your career and lead
to smiles and happiness? Talk about a win/win! You can find volunteer opportunities
at VolunteerMatch, Pointsof Light, or IdeaList.
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Helping out in an office is an area
that for some reason has flown under my radar until now. I recently learned
that many
nonprofits are understaffed or operating on a small budget and can’t afford the
marketing, HR, technology, or planning resources that their missions deserve. I
work in marketing and was an administrative assistant for years, so I have
valuable skills. To help a nonprofit in an office near you get connected
with Taproot+.
4. Give Money:
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If you are
short on time, but still want to help somehow, you can make monetary donations.
Throughout our communities, nonprofit organizations are working tirelessly
every day to make a difference in our communities. We can help today
by looking through the list of participating non profits HERE.
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In theory,
we should all be kind each and everyday of our lives, but the reality is we can
be a cranky lot sometimes. As we finish off this month, year and decade, why
not recommit to showing kindness? Remember, you can’t give kindness fully
unless and until you are kind to yourself, so please find simple ways to step
back from stressful situations and enjoy your life! You will be better equipped
to spread kindness! A seemingly small act of kindness has the power to inspire
generosity that can permeate society and catalyze change. I believe it kindness
should start at home and radiate outward.
Ideas for practicing kindness at home:
- Place encouraging or funny notes on bathroom mirrors for your family.
- Check the washer and dryer. Start a load of laundry or hold what in the dryer.
- Unload or load the dishwasher.
- Bake a batch of cookies.
- Tackle a small chore to lighten the load of another family member.
- Call your kids/spouse and leave them an encouraging voicemail.
31 Days of Kindness Idea Calendar #GivingTuesday:
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This
calendar is a perfect way to remember small acts of kindness in your day. You
can download it here. I’m going to
print one out and place it on out bulletin board so my family can participate as
well.
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Lastly, help
get your kids and teens involved on Giving Tuesday and throughout the year by letting
them know their voice matters too! It’s their future, help plug them in by
exploring ways to get involved at DoSomething.org
or Change.org. Some topics that might be
of interest to them include, vaping, bullying, gun violence and more.
By lending
our voice to advocate for the causes and issues we care about, we can all be
activists who affect the kind of change that makes our world a better place.
Share Why You Give with an UNselfie:
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Every Act
has a Story:
Share your
story as part of the #MyGivingStory contest and your
favorite cause could win up to $10k to help empower their work. Learn more
about the contest here.
I hope my
list of six ways to give today, Giving Tuesday will help you connect with your
community. I invite to learn more about nonprofits and a host of other
resources available at the Giving Tuesday site here. Be sure to use #givingtuesday
on your social shares today as well.
Happy Giving Tuesday!
Please share
in comments: Which of the six ways to give resonated with you and why?
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