As the holidays arrive, consumers and business alike have come to know shopping terms such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday. However, a new term and day has emerged: #GivingTuesday. Now in its fourth year, #GivingTuesday is the Tuesday following Thanksgiving and those widely recognized shopping days. This year, #GivingTuesday is Dec. 1.
The day was the brainchild of 92nd Street Y, a cultural center in New York City. The group’s goal was to utilize social media – hence the hashtag – to connect people around the world for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity, encourage giving and show kindness. Recognizing the power of social media and the generosity of people everywhere, #GivingTuesday encourages people and businesses to donate time, resources and money to positively impact their communities. The global movement empowers people to unite and work toward the common cause of giving and kindness to others.
#GivingTuesday by the numbers (according to GivingTuesday.org):
- 30,000+ – number of partners worldwide
- 68 – countries with participants
- 470 percent increase in online donations since 2012
- 33 million – twitter messages
- 750,00 – hashtag comments
- 15 billion – social media mentions globally
Why Give?
“Scientific studies show that when you give, it activates the pleasure centers in the brain,” explained Jenean Merkel Perelstein. “So, you can either activate these pleasure centers by doing something simple like eating chocolate, or you do something like an act of giving, which has a ripple effect.”
Perelstein is the founder of Alchemie Academy, and the creator of Internal Alchemie: The Welcoming Abundance Blueprint. She is a sociocultural anthropologist who employs leading-edge brain science with result-oriented personal development tools.
According to Perelstein, “Giving creates movement, like a running creek versus stagnant standing water. Consistent giving changes the way your brain works by constantly activating the pleasure centers. In turn, you begin to experience the physical and emotional value of giving in your personal and business worlds. Your ‘happiness set point’ is higher; therefore, you feel happier and look for ways to create more happiness for yourself and others.”
She says it works in the opposite direction as well. “If you approach life and business in a constricted, hold-on-tight fashion, the brain perceives the world with less joy and less opportunity. Specific dates, like #GivingTuesday, [are] a gateway to remind people to give, which brings personal benefits as well as benefits our community and ripples out to impact our world.”
Local Businesses, Individuals Join in the Movement
Many local businesses and people already are one of the 30,000 global partners and many more are determining how they want to be involved. Here is a sample of some of just a few of the caring hearts:
Denise Bravo-Staga, a licensed massage therapist, specializes in massage for those who are undergoing cancer treatments or are post-treatment. Bravo-Staga will donate a gift certificate for a massage to the Breast Cancer Resource Center at Flagstaff Medical Center for every massage purchased on Dec. 1. “I want to help people heal and I especially have a passion to help those affected by cancer. There is so much physical and emotional pain associated with cancer, massage can help people relax, but it can also help the physical effects of radiation, surgery and medications.”
Valerie Caro, a broker with Flagstaff Top Producers Real Estate, and a group of friends want to surprise some individuals and families who have placed items on layaway for holiday gifts by paying off all the layaway balances at a local store. “What a great surprise they will have when they go to make a payment and find the balance is paid. Money can be especially tight during the holidays and we want to relieve some of the financials stress. It is so wonderful to know you have helped make someone’s holidays a bit easier and brighter.” Caro is also an active supporter of the Boys & Girls Club of Flagstaff.
Blendz Wine Bar, a new establishment in downtown Flagstaff, plans to donate 10 percent of all sales on Dec. 1 to Second Chance Animal Shelter in Flagstaff. Blendz may be a new business but the group of owners are not new to Flagstaff and are not new to giving. “We are more than a business, we are part of the community,” said Randi Rolle, one of four Blendz partners. “Second Chance and other animal shelters are vital to our community and they meet a very real need and rely on donations to stay open. We want to make a difference in the lives of people and animals.”
Bull & Basin Archery owners John and Laura Decker make opportunities throughout the year to give to a local charity. “We believe in giving and we believe in supporting our local non-profit agencies,” said Laura Decker. “Each year, we select the charities we want to support for that year and that is where we focus our giving. Unlike big corporations, we determine who we want to give to and don’t have to ask approval from a corporate office. The #GivingTuesday movement is a great way to encourage kindness and giving on the individual, business and corporate level.”
Jitters Lunch Box owners Reggie and Sharlene Fouser opened their first Jitters store in Flagstaff in 1996. “As longtime Flagstaff residents and business owners, we are proud to be part of this community and we always look for ways to give back.” The Fousers plan to donate 10 percent of their sales from Jitters for five days – Monday, Nov. 30 through Friday, Dec. 4 – to the Olivia White Hospice Home. “Olivia White provides such amazing care to those who are in the final stages of life. The home never turns anyone away because of inability to pay, so they rely on donations to help cover the expenses of those who need financial assistance.”
Markie LePino, a NAU student who works part-time at Massage Envy, says she was excited to learn about the day. “Sometimes I get so busy going to school and working I forget about the world outside of mine. Learning about #GivingTuesday reminded me I need to give of my time, since I don’t have much money right now. So, I am going to volunteer at the men’s shelter and do whatever they may need help with on Dec. 1.”
The number of people and agencies dedicated to giving and making communities and lives better and people happier are too many to list or count. In addition to the larger agencies such as the United Way of Northern Arizona and Big Brother Big Sisters Flagstaff, there are numerous small organizations and groups of people who give of their time, energy and money. FBN
