Giving Tuesday hopes to promote charitable donations in Black Friday wake
On Tuesday, Dec. 3, the University of Guelph will be the first post-secondary institution to start participating in “Giving Tuesday.” Giving Tuesday has become an internationally recognized day of philanthropy designed to promote charitable donations and volunteering by marking the beginning of the holiday season. The movement also aims to raise awareness for charities and non-profits, and emphasizes the importance of community involvement.
Giving Tuesday takes place the Tuesday after “Cyber Monday” (and American Thanksgiving). The idea behind Giving Tuesday is to allocate some of the money being spent on gifts for the holiday season toward charities and non-profits across the country. Giving Tuesday started last year in the U.S. and was considered a success, involving the participation of more than 2,500 partners across all 50 states. Blackbaud, a non-profit services provider, processed over $10 million of online donations, and Donor Perfect, another non-profit consultancy, saw a 46 per cent increase in the number of donations, with a 25 per cent average increase in the amount of each gift.
On Giving Tuesday this year, the university will be hosting a “Giving Fair” that will take place between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. in the University Centre courtyard. The event will feature a number of community partners including Habitat for Humanity, the Guelph Food Bank, the Guelph Humane Society, and a variety of other student groups and off campus organizations. The charities and non-profits will be providing awareness about their particular organizations, as well as encouraging student involvement through donations and volunteering across campus and the city.
Brittney Dudar, an Alumni Advancement manager at Alumni Affairs and co-ordinator of the event on campus, explained why Guelph decided to get involved in the movement: “The university decided to get involved because that’s what the U of G does: cares. The U of G has been named the most caring university in the world. With our participation in initiatives like the food packing event and Mental Health Awareness week, it only seemed natural to jump on the Giving Tuesday train as well, and we were one of the first Canadian universities to do it.”
Dudar is also encouraging students across campus to get involved. They can do so “by simply attending the Giving Fair and checking out the various organizations they can get involved with, bringing canned food items for the CSA Food Bank drive, purchasing a yummy cupcake, or making a donation to the U of G’s the BetterPlanet Project by texting GTUofG to 20222 to give $10.”