The mad rush to buy holiday gifts has begun. We have been getting bombarded with emails and commercials about Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Stop. Take a mindful deep breath. There is more to the holiday season than shopping, spending, and stressing. Why not gather your family together for some holiday volunteer opportunities?
What Is Giving Tuesday?
This special day is focused on giving. Giving Tuesday is a global day for sending charitable donations to organizations of your choice. This social media campaign was initiated in 2012 by the cultural center 92nd Street Y in New York City in partnership with the United Nations Foundation. Tens of thousands of nonprofits, businesses, civic organizations, and individuals from nearly 100 countries come together to make real change happen in their communities and around the world. The mission is to build a more just and generous world.
Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. Since it began, Giving Tuesday has become a movement that celebrates and supports giving and philanthropy.
It is so wonderful that this day has been created to highlight the importance of charitable donations for organizations supporting those in need. Giving Tuesday is responsible for increasing online donations by 470 percent!
How To Celebrate With Family Volunteer Opportunities
As parents, we can use this opportunity to teach our children about the importance of giving and helping others. Here are some ways your family can celebrate Giving Tuesday:
- Explain what it means to be compassionate. Teach your children about compassion by reading books like My Welcome Book.
- Discuss how they can help. Find a few minutes during the ride home from school or at dinner to ask your children who they would like to help. Provide some options like babies, animals, people without homes, children who do not have families, students who need books, or the elderly. Brainstorm some places where you can send a donation. Check out these resources for charity ideas. Let them send the actual donation online so that they can experience the act of giving firsthand.
- Give them an easy way to participate. Create or purchase a giving box for your children. Ask them to set goals about how much they would like to give next year and who they want to help. Check in weekly or monthly throughout the year to see how close they are to reaching their goal. Here are some great ideas for making your own charitable collection box that your kids will love.
- Commit to volunteer work throughout the year. This is a wonderful opportunity to also decide where your family can volunteer together. Learn how to choose the best volunteer activities for your family.
Featured Charities 2020
This is the sixth year that I have published a post about Giving Tuesday. Every year I like to highlight some of my favorite charities that I hope you will consider supporting. This year I am shining the spotlight on organizations focused on the intersection of mental health and nature.
Children & Nature Network. In 2005, author and Children & Nature Network (C&NN) co-founder Richard Louv published his groundbreaking book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder. He reported that in just a few decades, childhood had moved indoors, growing more and more disconnected from the natural world. There are many reasons for this, but the impact on children, people and the planet raised dire concerns. Louv called for a New Nature Movement, one that recognized the interconnection of all life on earth, including plants, humans, and other animals. The organization supports and mobilizes leaders, educators, activists, practitioners and parents working to turn the trend of an indoor childhood back out to the benefits of nature–and to increase safe and equitable access to the natural world for all. C&NN envisions a world in which children have access to the benefits of nature everywhere they live, learn, and play and has the mission is to increase equitable access to nature so that children–and the natural world–can thrive. I am a proud member of this organization.
SHIFT. SHIFT (Shaping How we Invest For Tomorrow) is dedicated to the advancement of nature as a social determinant of health. The organization believes that creating an irrefutable case for the health benefits of nature represents the strongest argument we can make for nature itself. By highlighting public health as an ecosystem service, and by investing in access and outcomes that are both equitable and inclusive, SHIFT seeks to advance a cost-effective component of comprehensive health care while raising the value proposition of nature in society at large. I recently participated in their annual Summit.
EcoPsychology Initiative. The EcoPsychology Initiative (EPI) works with individuals and organizations to solve problems and realize potential by applying the principles of psychology and nature. It helps to foster thriving for people and the planet by increasing growth, healing and impact. I enjoy taking their classes and recently completed the Level 1 Ecotherapy Training course with the EcoPscychology Initiative.
How will you support Giving Tuesday as a family?
Thanks for sharing. I wasn’t aware of Giving Tuesday. It’s great to get kids started early with charitable donations. When my son was young, each year we would go through his toys and find ones to donate . He knew he was giving up his toys so someone who didn’t have as much could get them and he was always very generous. Most children are, that’s why it’s important to start them off with giving when they are young.
Great mom tips and value here. Way to set your kids up to be unstoppable. Happy Thanksgiving!
OMG! I saw the Money Savvy Pig link to Amazon. I had to save it! So considering getting that for my nephew for Christmas!!!
Love it! there’s so many ways to give that are easy to do too. Toys for tots, angel trees (both kinds), coats for kids etc. I try to encourage my kids to show kindness toward others. This is always a great place to get started 🙂
With all the consumerism over this week, and the next month in the run up to Christmas, this is such a refreshing thing to see promoted!
Appreciate the reminder. Mine is five this year and I’m really trying hard to do stuff like this with her this year.
Great Ideas and tips thanks for sharing!
My grandkids are helping me by addressing cards to soldiers in the sandbox. Please remember them too.
Great project idea!
I haven’t done the Giving Box, but now I’m going to check it out - thank you! I am making a big effort to include my young girls in positive action, including giving, so any tips are much appreciated.
(FYI I recently wrote a post about making the most out of any budget when donating, if you’re interested: http://tenthousandhourmama.com/2016/11/28/stretch-your-holiday-charitable-giving/)
What a great article. It is so important to give back in today’s world!
I love any post that gives strategies to promote compassion and generosity in children. Thanks Sandi for some great new ideas
This post delivers an amen. I was getting so stressed out about all the gifts we need to purchase without thinking about what this season is really all about. Thanks for the post!
I’ve really been more conscious about doing things like this with the kids. We always seem to overdo Christmas, and I’m always looking for ways to get them involved in giving back. Thanks for the ideas!
This is great! I have added it to my “To Do” calendar for next school year so that I can have my classroom of preschoolers participate. I can’t get all the details worked out in time for this year, but will for sure do it next year!
My daughter is only two, but we’re talking about how it’s important to pass along the things you’re not using any more so others can use them. We have a big box going for donations soon!
This is awesome! I’ve heard about Giving Tuesday but I’ve never given it much thought. This has really helped spark some new ideas to get involved though! Thank you!
Love these ideas! I find that the holiday season is way too commercial, and with ideas mentioned in this post, it brings back the idea of family, friends, and goodwill back to the season.
Thank you for these helpful ideas for involving our children in giving Tuesday. What a wonderful opportunity to teach our little ones the importance of serving others and helping when we can.
this is such a beautiful way to share love and support with your beloved ones!
and if there are kids involved, the sooner they learn how to be kind and supportive, the sooner and better they can help to make this world a better place and cultivate a more positive lifestyle! 🙂
love from Germany!
I love this! It’s so easy to get caught up in thinking of ourselves and our immediate family around the holidays. We’re going to try to work this in next year (since I’ve left it a little late this year)!
This is such a great initiative. We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving where I live, but I like to fill bags with old clothes during the festive season and go hand them out to a few homeless people I have been supporting throughout the year.
I LOVE the idea of Giving Tuesday and the fact that it provides parents with a great opportunity to encourage and teach their children when it comes to charitable giving (time and money) and how you can, in fact, make a difference as an individual
I love this idea! I had never heard of giving Tuesday, but what great values it instills. A new family tradition!!
I didn’t realize it was Giving Tuesday. Thank you for the ideas of different ways to give. That is my goal for today Sarah Dailyrestored.com
Thank you for your awesome ideas of different ways to share. I wasn’t aware that today was Giving Tuesday. Looks like I have something to add to my “To Do” list for the day.
I love getting my kids involved with giving back. It is such an important quality to instill in them. You have given me some great ideas.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen or heard anything about Giving Tuesday. This is awesome that you keep bringing this to our attention!
Love this! It’s such a great thing to bring to the forefront because a lot of people aren’t very familiar with it.