Giving Tuesday Promotes Philanthropy

A global movement is putting a spotlight on philanthropy this holiday season.

Now that Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone, Giving Tuesday shifts the focus from “getting” to “giving.” The initiative began four years ago and is a great complement to the consumerism of those days dedicated to shopping deals. The day of generosity is solely devoted to inspiring philanthropy, whether it be making donations to charity or volunteering in the community. Executive Director for the United Way, Meg Deedrick, said there are plenty of ways to give back this season.

“There are vendors who have made it very easy to give, and actually it doesn’t require any extra money out of your pocket, Amazon Smiles, Kroger rewards… there are vendors that have rewards programs,” Deedrick said.

Deedrick said if you make a purchase and link your account with certain vendors, such as Hilton Honors, they’ll give a percentage of that sale to a charitable organization. It costs you nothing, but only a few minutes of your time.

“It doesn’t cost the shopper anything, so this is a way to be charitable at the same time that you’re buying your gifts and maybe even for yourself, but it’s a way to give back that’s really relatively painless,” Deedrick said.

Deedrick said there are many companies out there that give back as a result of your activity. You can visit www.unitedwayofmpm.org/give to learn more about how you can participate in Giving Tuesday.