We all know charities do incredible and much-needed work so it’s important as a sector to take a moment to reflect and celebrate our achievements. Now a major date in the sector calendar, Giving Tuesday is a day to join forces, share successes and encourage giving.
The global giving campaign is now observed in over 60 countries worldwide and everyone is invited to support the causes that are important to them. This can be in the form of volunteering your time, donating money, organising a fundraiser, or inspiring your network to support a good cause. It’s a perfect opportunity for charities to raise awareness of their causes, especially as the branding and logos can be personalised to suit.
Ahead of Giving Tuesday, we asked our fantastic network about their plans. Here are just some of the campaigns to look out for…
Christmas can be a difficult time for children who are vulnerable or in care. This Giving Tuesday, BookTrust are amplifying their Christmas appeal, using donations to send surprise book parcels to help brighten up the festive season for the children they support.
For 2021 Lepra has turned Giving Tuesday into Giving Shoesday, highlighting the importance of specialist footwear for people affected by Leprosy. Their tailor-made shoes aim to boost the quality of life, making walking more comfortable and preventing injury.
Their main event, the celebrity shoe auction, features donations from Dame Judi Dench, Stephen Fry, Joanna Lumley OBE, Dame Helen Mirren, Dermot O’Leary, and more.
The Big Give – Place2Be and more
Place2Be are working with The Big Give and The Childhood Trust to run a matched funding appeal for a week (starting 30 November) to raise £25,000 to support young people’s mental health.
The appeal features the story of 11-year-old Ceri who was anxious about going to school. Place2Be’s counselling has helped to ease her worries and prepare her for starting secondary school. “It’s like having a different child, her confidence has grown so much and it’s lovely to see!”
Small Business Star – Work for Good
Helping small business to raise funds for charities, Work for Good are running their Small Business Star campaign and have linked up with Giving Tuesday to highlight the initiative.
Charities can sign up for free and then ask small businesses to pledge an amount or percentage of their Christmas sales. Work for Good will match donations up to £250 per business until the match funding pot of £50,000 runs out.
Step into Christmas – Fight for Sight
The theme for Giving Tuesday this year is #BounceBack, encouraging people to help good causes get back on their feet. So Fight for Sight would like to get people moving and walk, jog or run 25K in the days leading up to Christmas to raise funds for life-changing sight loss research.
The 25k can be completed in one go or across each day of the advent calendar. It’s a simple way to keep active, especially during a time when most of us want to curl up under a blanket indoors.
St John’s Ambulance Cymru – Spare your spends
Over the winter and beyond St John Ambulance Cymru’s volunteers will be giving up their time to provide lifesaving support across Wales. To support this important work, this Giving Tuesday they are asking people what they could give up and donate the cost of instead.
This can be as simple as contributing the cost of a morning coffee or skipping after work drinks or a takeaway treat.
We hope you enjoy this day of positivity and celebration. You can share your favourite campaigns by tagging us on Twitter @CharityComms.
Want to feel more uplifted? Then why not join us to champion our sector further at the Inspiring Communicator Awards 2021.
Banner Image: Ekaterina Shevchenko on Unsplash