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SOCIAL IMPACT HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDEACCESSORIESWOMENS Bracelets by Maiden Nation ($18 - $500+) Peacock Scarf by Hidden Baby ($24.97) Cambodian Children’s Fund Yoga Tote ($45) More Accessories by Roozt MENS Falling Whistles ($35) Warby Parker Glasses and Sunglasses ($95) More Accessories by Roozt ART Curated Art by Canvas ($75 - $225) Curated Art by Creativity Explored ($50 - $200) Curated Photography by Nuru Project ($50 - $1,000) Manifesto by Holstee ($28 - $36) BAGS Bags by FEED Fair Trade Bags by Global Goods Partners Handbags and purses made from recycled materials from eBay ($4 - $249) BATH & BODY Anything Soap by Soaphop ($2.69+) Anything Cosmetics by Causemetics ($8+) Eco-Toothbrush by LittleBonsai ($25+) J.R. Watkins Bath and Body ($2.99+) Thistle Farms Body Butter ($12) BOOKS, JOURNALS & MAGAZINES Any Book from Better World Books They collect and sell books online to donate books and fund literacy initiatives worldwide. Blank Books and Journals by Denik ($10.80) Subscription to Makeshift ($34/one year) A quarterly magazine about creativity and invention in informal economies around the world. CLOTHING & SHOES Heart Fingerless Gloves ($45) KNO Clothing ($13 - $60) Scarves from Global Goods Partners ($25 - $160) Wool Infinity Scarves (Cowl) by Rubina ($90) Men’s Leather Shoes by Oliberte ($108 - $166) Women’s Shoes ($18.60+) TOM’s Shoes All Ages ($20+) ENTERTAINMENT & DINING Entertainment Selection by UncommonGoods ($10 - $950) Wine Tools and Accessories ($12 - $400) FOOD AND DRINK Awakening The Dreamer Tea by RUNA ($8) Beer Tasting Toolkit ($18) Blissmo Discovery Box ($24.95 - $69.95) Chocolate, Organic and Ethically Sourced • Alter Eco • Askonsie • Madécasse • Tcho Coffee by Grounds For Change (Various) Coffee Sleeves by Comfort ($7) Fair Trade Wine (Various) Hot Bread Kitchen’s Global Bread Box ($70) Indie Food and Tasty Gifts from New York Mouth ($25 - $300) Mushroom Kit by Back to the Roots ($36) HOLIDAY CARDS & DECOR Cards by Cards From Africa ($4.99 - $39.90) Christmas Ornaments ($10 - $55) Hanukkah Gifts ($14 - $480) Holiday Decor from Ten Thousand Villages ($5 - $78) Ornaments by Indego Africa ($9 - $10) HOME Candles by Prosperity Candles ($28 - $60) City Icon Pillows of New York, San Francisco and Seattle ($150) Plant Grow Kits by The Jonsteen Company ($15) Who Gives A Crap Toilet Paper - pre-order for late December ($25 - $140) JEWELRY Men and Women’s Jewelry from Global Goods Partners ($5 - $75) Women’s Jewelry from Gifts With Humanity ($7.99 - $79.99) Women’s Jewelry from Rootz ($3.50 - $135.00) PETS Fair Trade Pet from Global Goods Partners ($25 - $55) Gifts For Pet Lovers ($8 - $290) Pets Gifts from UncommonGoods ($8 - $250) Pet Pillow Beds ($116 - $143) TECHNOLOGY AND ELECTRONICS Flockd 'Real-World' App For Your Literal 'Desktop' Powering Connections and Productivity ($5+) Headphones by LSTN ($85) MacBook Carrying Case by Mercado Global ($94) Portable Speakers by OrigAudio ($13.49) Technology and Electronics Gifts from Roozt ($9 - $106) TOYS AND ACCESSORIES FOR BABIES AND KIDS African Animals: Wire and Bead Art by Eco Africa ($14 - $38) Baby Accessories from UncommonGoods ($11 - $150) Colombian Plush Monkeys by One World Projects ($8 - $24) Make Your Own: Chewing Gum, Chocolate and Gummies Kit ($13.60) Organic Baby Clothes and Accessories by Cherub’s Blanket ($9.97 - $125.95) Wood Percussion Toys by One World Projects ($9 - $19.50) GIFT DONATIONS If your mantra is no more stuff, no more stuff, no more stuff or you know of someone who shares this same sentiment we have some great ideas for you. You can “give” a trio of rabbits, some bees, a sheep, a water buffalo or a camel to families around the work in need through Heifer International . Founded In 1944, Heifer created a brilliant giving model whereby the actual gift is given to a family in need and serves very often as a life-altering contribution. Meanwhile the “receiver” is honored in a meaningful way by the gift giver. Many fantastic nonprofits have come up with similar campaigns. You might want to look on the sites of your favorite charities and see if something similar exists. A few nonprofits we’ve seen grow in the last couple years are listed below along with their holiday campaigns: Kopernik is an online marketplace of innovative, life-changing technologies designed for the developing world. To learn about their holiday cards, click here. To send a gift voucher, click here. The Water Collective brings life lasting clean water to developing communities through robust solutions and economic empowerment. Their holiday campaign is called DIGDEEP which will help 3,000 mothers in Lokando, Cameroon. Click here for giving options ranging from $25 - $900. She’s the First is a nonprofit organization that sponsors girls’ education in the developing world, helping them be the first in their families to graduate. If you would like to sponsor a girl, click here. RESOURCES: How to research whether or not your favorite nonprofit is actually creating positive impact in the world, or merely launching slick marketing campaigns. GiveWell is an independent, nonprofit charity evaluator. They find outstanding giving opportunities and publish the full details of their analysis to help donors decide where to give. Unlike other charity evaluators, which focus solely on financials (assessing administrative or fundraising costs), they focus on how well programs actually work – i.e., their effects on the people they serve. To learn more, click here. Green America’s Holiday Gift Guide GOOD GOOD is a global community of, by, and for pragmatic idealists working towards individual and collective progress. NEED Magazine NEED magazine is an educational artistic hope-filled publication focusing on life changing humanitarian efforts at home and abroad. Rubina Magazine Rubina Magazine is a biweekly publication for those who are curious, cultured, and fiercely bold. The magazine contains stories about design, ethical fashion, issues relevant to women, traditional craft, intercultural experiences and travel, and socially-responsible business. Stories are published in relation to the current featured product on the Rubina site. GUIDE CREATORS Brian Weinberg Chief Curator of Blendedprofit.comBlendedprofit.com seeks to aggregate actionable resources for a community of people committed to a lifestyle that supports good business. By shifting how we interact with business throughout our societal roles, we can grow the good economy together. Shana Dressler, Founder of the Social Innovators Collective The Social Innovators Collective is an international network of emerging founders and professionals who work in the social enterprise and nonprofit sectors. The Social Innovators Collective's mission is to train and nurture the next wave of social change leaders so that they can demonstrate both measurable impact and achieve financially sustainability. DESCRIPTIONS OF VENDORS AHAlife Eco-Friendly We feature a range of lifestyle goodies – fashion, food, beauty, accessories, home decor, travel and tech, to name a few – but all are united by their craftsmanship, unique provenance and amazing aesthetic. Askinosie Chocolate Askinosie Chocolate is a small batch bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturer based in Springfield, Missouri. The founder, Shawn Askinosie, was recently named by O, The Oprah Magazine, as "One of 14 Guys Who Are Saving the World." They said, "Why we're fans: The philanthropically-minded chocolate entrepreneur aims to get students thinking about business ethics in a way that ¬ could have ripple effects for generations." (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) Better World Books Better World Books uses the power of business to change the world. We collect and sell books online to donate books and fund literacy initiatives worldwide. With more than 8 million new and used titles in stock, we’re a self-sustaining, triple-bottom-line company that creates social, economic and environmental value for all our stakeholders. Thus far, we’ve donated over 5 million books to partner programs around the world. Our four primary literacy partners are Books for Africa, Room to Read, Worldfund, and the National Center for Family Literacy. Blissmo Our team works with expert curators and leverages scientific resources to find exceptional products that are either certified as organic or eco-friendly, or that skip toxins found in many conventional brands and products, or that have a people and planet positive approach in the DNA of the business. We introduce these products to you via flash sales and our discovery boxes. Cards From Africa Cards from Africa is a part of a new generation of African businesses setting a trend in our divided world. We make high quality products, made in one of the poorest countries, available to the international market at competitive prices. In return, we offer well-paid employment to those who need it the most. Creativity ExploredCreativity Explored provides a supportive studio environment for artists with developmental disabilities in which they receive individualized instruction from mentoring artists, quality art materials, and professional opportunities to exhibit their work. Artists at Creativity Explored communicate through their art. In expressing their thoughts, emotions, experiences, and cultures to their peers, instructors, patrons, and art lovers, they also engage with a broad and supportive community. DoGoodBuyUs At DoGoodBuyUs we believe the world can't change until consumerism does. That is why we created the largest marketplace of charity-made products. Now anyone can "do good" just by buying beautiful, often hand-made items that support the worthiest causes. From tea to t-shirts, from rain boots to coffee, from jewelry to soaps, the list of amazing products goes on. Even better, with each purchase, 50%+ of the proceeds are dedicated to fighting poverty, hunger, disease, environmental degradation and other life-threatening ills around the globe. Exotic World Gifts Helping others is our passion. Experiencing diverse cultures is enriching. Hearing Artisan stories is heartwarming. From these experiences we bring you authentic treasures rarely available in the US. We support distant villages by offering you fine handcrafted items rich in tradition and cultural diversity. Gifts come from: Africa, Bali, Cambodia, Central America, India, South America, Thailand, and Vietnam. Falling Whistles Falling Whistles is a campaign for peace in the Congo. The whistle is a symbol of protest and we ask individuals to be whistleblowers for peace. We invest the proceeds from the whistle sales in Congolese visionaries, and we are building a global coalition for peace. We began with a small story inside our world's deadliest war; a single story of a single day. We learned of children sent to the frontlines, armed with only a whistle. That story birthed our symbol and was forwarded around the world to readers who wrote back asking, What can we do? How can we help? We have been working to answer their questions ever since. FEED FEED began in 2006 when acclaimed model and activist Lauren Bush designed a bag to benefit the United Nations World Food Programme's (WFP) School Feeding program. Lauren took a special interest in WFP's School Feeding program, which feeds and educates hungry children. She first created the FEED 1 bag, a reversible burlap and organic cotton bag reminiscent of the bags of food distributed by WFP, to help raise funds and awareness around these school feeding operations. It was stamped with "FEED the children of the world" and the number ‘1’ to signify that each bag feeds one child in school for one year. And in 2007, FEED Projects LLC was founded by Lauren Bush and Ellen Gustafson to produce and sell these bags. Flockd To scale community, Marissa Feinberg, co-founder of Green Spaces, and Janice Caillet, launched Flockd, a real-world app for connectivity and productivity, inspired by the coworking movement and social concerns like what’s happening in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. It’s Marissa’s dream to create a new way for people to connect offline. It is Janice's dream for everyone to live 'on purpose' which requires, among other things (such as knowing your purpose), a combination of creating genuine relationships and productivity. Gifts With Humanity Gifts With Humanity is the retail division of Global Fair Trade Crafts. Global Fair Trade Crafts was founded in 2002 by Kevin Ward and Renice Jones, who met as volunteer computing teachers in Kenya and realized the capacity of the web to help individual artisans. After three years in Kenya they came to the USA and setup Global Crafts, initially as a small Fair Trade retail store. It soon became apparent that to sell in volume and change the lives of the artisans, the wholesale business would have to grow. Global Crafts has become a $1 million a year outlet for Fair Trade artisan handicrafts. Given Goods Company Given Goods Company is a marketplace that encourages social change and the buy-to-give movement by delivering carefully curated products made by ambitious brands that benefit causes around the world. Given Goods Company offers fashion-forward apparel, accessories, footwear, home goods and more from sought-after brands as well as up-and-coming designers that make a tangible impact. Global Girlfriend Global Girlfriend was created by Stacey Edgar in 2003 to help women worldwide gain economic security while providing you unique products and a simple way to help women in need. Our Fair Trade boutique offers a line of trend-setting, women-made, Fair Trade products including stylish apparel, accessories and gifts with one purpose – helping women in need help themselves. Global Goods Partners Global Goods Partners is a nonprofit organization that sells handmade, fair trade products in order to improve the economic status of women in marginalized communities around the world. We work with nearly 40 artisan groups which collectively employ over 3,000 women in close to 20 countries. Our online store offers socially-conscious consumers a direct connection to artisan partners that are changing women’s lives by helping them to build sustainable livelihoods. HandCrafting Justice HandCrafting Justice provides access to Fair Trade markets for unique, handmade goods created by enterprising women in the developing world working to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. By fostering self-reliance, ensuring fair wages, and building support networks, the organization offers far more than Fair Trade. HandCrafting Justice promotes human dignity by empowering women to overcome social and economic injustice. Hidden Baby We believe that fashion should be about creating beauty and social change. Every Hidden Baby product has a baby hidden within the design to represent babies hidden from society's sight. We donate a portion of our profits to organizations helping babies-in-need. We believe that we are all in this together, and the choices we make, from what we create to what we buy, can change the world. LittleBonsai LittleBonsai is developing a portfolio of household products that help to reduce the amount of preventable waste in our lives (like the waste generated by toothbrushes). As designers and engineers, we believe in a responsibility to reduce the environmental impact and to maximize the social value of everything we bring to market. Indego Africa Indego Africa is a non-governmental organization and 501(c)(3) non-profit social enterprise that partners with cooperatives of women artisans in Rwanda on a Fair Trade basis, sells its partners handmade accessories and home décor products on its online store and at more than 70 U.S. retailers. It invests 100% of its profits from sales and fundraising into its tailored long-term skills training programs for the co-ops in business, literacy, and computers, all taught by Rwanda’s top university students. KNO Clothing KNO Clothing uses fairly traded and organic cotton, or a sustainable blend of organic cotton, recycled polyester and natural rayon polymers which means our clothing is made with the people who made it in mind. Doing so supports living wages for workers and protests slave labor. When you shop at KNO, we give 50% of our profits to help end homelessness. Your purchase provides an article of clothing to someone in need and supports the work of our partners in over 150 different communities across the United States. To date, our partners have housed over 19,000 people. Since November 2010, we have hand delivered 1,250+ articles of clothing to our neighbors in need. Kopernik Kopernik is an online marketplace of innovative, life-changing technologies designed for the developing world. Their website showcases the latest technologies. How it works is that local groups (NGOs) choose what is most needed in their area and apply online for funding. After vetting, Kopernik posts the project on their website so that you can choose what you want to fund. The technology is shipped directly to the local NGO, avoiding middlemen, so more of a donor’s money (in the form of technology) reaches the end user. A donor then receives feedback about how each donation has helped people’s lives. Madécasse 70% of the world’s cocoa comes from Africa. Less than 1% of chocolate is made there. We make fine chocolate in Africa. It’s a revolutionary idea in the chocolate world (some would even say a bit crazy). There are a thousand reasons why it isn’t usually done. But, it’s an idea that can make the world a better place, generating 4x more income than Fair Trade cocoa alone. Every Madécasse bar you savor starts the change in one, small corner: Madagascar. - A Company’s Quest To Bring Mindfulness To Black Friday by Fast Company - Are You A Bad Gifter? - CNN: Growing Gardens in India - Fast Company’s 6 Most Innovative Ways To Gift Read More ›
We're huge fans of this cause! Giving Tuesday is a great way to give back to your community. Consider making dinnner for a caregiver friend/family member to celebrate Giving Tuesday. You would provide a great service to the caregiver in your life. Read More ›
" You’ve probably had it with all the promotions for Black Friday and Cyber Monday; I know I have. But as I help you avoid making big mistakes with your charitable giving for 2012, bear with me as I urge you to take advantage of Giving Tuesday . Or more precisely: #GivingTuesday. It’s happening on Tuesday, Nov. 27. If you haven’t heard of #GivingTuesday , don’t feel embarrassed. I hadn’t until a week ago, when I began my annual review of charities to see which ones I’d target for my year-end contributions. The purpose of #GivingTuesday, a new semi-holiday, is to get Americans to celebrate and support charities in a season that often seems exclusively about spending money. ... In that spirit, I’d like to offer tips on how to make the most of your donation dollars by avoiding these six common donor mistakes." Photo: Hemera/Thinkstock Make sure you avoid these mistakes, by reading the complete article. Just press the "View Original Post" button below!Read More ›
The Gift Of A Helping Hand Charitable Trust Building Fund Help The Gift Of A Helping Hand Charitable Trust to raise $50,000.00 for our Building Fund. Monetary donations are accepted daily. Our silent auction will be held on December 10, 2012, and December 17, 2012, from 8am till 6pm. The Gift Of A Helping Hand Charitable Trust has been serving its communities from a house on the eastside of Detroit at 17148 Waltham, Detroit, MI 48205 since 2002. We need someone help in the community to donate to us a commercial building to help us to expand. Click on this link and check out our video at http://youtu.be/L8H-uFtwm4U . Monetary donations also accepted to purchase a building. Our goal is to raise $50,000.00. Drop off your monetary donations or send your monetary donations. ATTN: Cathy P. Russell, The Gift Of A Helping Hand Charitable Trust, 17148 Waltham, Detroit, MI 48205. Each day, beginning December 10, 2012, The Gift Of A Helping Hand Charitable Trust will be rallying for new supporters, donors, local businesses, radio stations, television stations, churches and other community leaders to assist us in raising 50,000.00 for our building fund. For additional information contact: Cathy P. Russell The Gift Of A Helping Hand Charitable Trust 17148 Waltham Detroit, MI 48205 Phone: (313) 282-7558 E-mail: Tgoahhct@hotmail.com Website: http://www.tgoahhctbuildingandtoyfund.org Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tgoahhct Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tgoahhct2002 Read More ›
I have no interest in Black Friday, and I can promise you will never find me at the mall at 4 a.m. battling crowds and trampling people to save $10 on the latest electronic gadget. Just the thought of that makes my skin crawl – and makes me want to crawl under the covers. And, although it is slightly more appealing than Black Friday – well, pretty much anything is more appealing to me than Black Friday – I’m not particularly enamored by Cyber Monday, either. I like the fact that I don’t have to leave my house to get deals on my holiday gifts but the whole idea of en masse shopping seems antithetical to the spirit of the season. So I’m intrigued by the idea of #GivingTuesday, a new addition to the post-Thanksgiving days, which will take place on November 27, and which encourages consumers to give back in some way. This has been the cornerstone of our Shop With a Conscience section since the inception of StyleSubstanceSoul.com so, of course, we’re all excited about this! Starting Friday, StyleSubstanceSoul.com will be showcasing specific companies who are either eco-friendly or socially-conscious, or who re-use, recycle or donate to charity. These are small, independent businesses, and they feature lots of handmade and one-of-a-kind pieces, making this some of the best and most unique shopping around. We're even hosting two of our own charitable projects -- Formerly Flip Flops, which features bracelets made from recycled flip flops -- and the Kenyan Breast Cancer Awareness Project, in which African artists created paintings (see photo) incorporating the breast cancer awareness postage stamp. You can learn lots more about #GivingTuesday on their website. We so love this idea, and hope you’ll Tweet about it and help promote it on your own Facebook page, along with a link to our Shop With a Conscience section. As Anna Lappe of Small Planet Institute points out, "Every time you spend money, you're casting a vote for the kind of world you want." Vote wisely, and shop every day like it’s #GivingTuesday! Read More ›
Photo by Alex E. Proimos "Last week I wrote about being thankful and stressed how important it is to appreciate how much more you have than others. That post also included a $100 cash giveaway to enter if you haven’t already. Coincidentally a few days before, Kevin Yu from Givology had contacted me about hosting a giveaway promoting the charity organization he is involved with. Of course I jumped at the opportunity to help out. I love to give back, but I’m really still establishing my financial footing and have been unable to give much money to charity. Givology is a 100% volunteer run charitable organization that connects you with grassroots education projects and student scholarships around the world. So it’s not some charity where a big chunk of money goes to an extremely well paid board of directors and other employees. This giveaway ties in with a new initiative called #GivingTuesday which celebrates the importance of giving back to the community. Following Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday brings people, companies and charities together to raise awareness and transform how people think about the giving season." Read the full article by selecting the button below!Read More ›
"In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Illinois' broadcasters are banding together for another round of donations to victims of the storm. The Illinois Broadcasters Association’s (IBA) Board of Directors passed a resolution to create “Giving Tuesday,” a day of donations on Nov. 27 that supports continued Red Cross relief efforts. To participate, viewers can make a $10 donation by texting REDCROSS to 90999. To make a donation of another size, call 1-800-RED CROSS . Text donations will result in a $10 donation on the donor’s cellular bill. Donations will be accepted all day Nov. 27." Make sure to read the whole article about this touching initiative!Read More ›
"Are you all geared up for Black Friday? Cyber Monday? How about Giving Tuesday? It’s just two weeks from today, so it’s time to plan your holiday spending to include charitable holiday giving. I may be biased, but I’d certainly recommend checking out the Heifer International online Gift Catalog . Many people already give nonprofit gifts at the holiday, but this year we’re taking it to a new level. We’re excited at Heifer International to be a Giving Tuesday partner. We have a unique calculator in development, which will allow you to calculate the savings you scored shopping Black Friday and Cyber Monday, so you can decide how big a philanthropist you want to be this year." Press the "View Original Post" button below to see how you can participate!Read More ›
NEW YORK – 9 November, 2012: The Arcus Foundation today announced awards amounting to US$78,275 to boost the work of 11 of its United States-based grantees in the run up to Giving Tuesday on 27 November, 2012, when donors across the U.S. will be encouraged to contribute to charitable activities. To read the entire press release, press the "View Original Post" button below! Founded in 2000 by Jon Stryker, the Arcus Foundation is a leading global foundation advancing pressing social justice and conservation issues. Specifically, Arcus works to advance LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) equality, as well as to conserve and protect the great apes.The Arcus Foundation works globally and has offices in Kalamazoo, Mich., New York City and Cambridge, UK. Read More ›
This Election Tuesday, I celebrate our American tradition of exercising the right to vote. While there will certainly be a lot of talk about voter turnout and exit polls, today’s true significance is that Americans will be acting in good faith, as they always do as citizens. Each of us, no doubt, will cast a vote for the candidate we genuinely believe will do the best job in leading our great country. Still, as I cast my ballot, I can’t help but be profoundly struck by how divided we are as a nation, and how this election has only served to widen and deepen our divisions. With every debate slugfest, every ad, and every speech, this election has largely been about how to shift a tiny sliver of swing-state voters from one camp to the other with the final tally this evening. No one has truly tried to elevate us, by taking us all, as a nation, on a daring new journey of progress. Now, more than ever, we need precisely the kind of leadership that elevates us to meet the scale of our challenges and opportunities as a nation, that inspires the energy, resiliency, and discipline it will take to succeed over the long-term. The tragedy and devastation of Hurricane Sandy have only further revealed the enormity of some of our society’s challenges—from climate, to infrastructure, to our ability to adapt to, and lead in, our increasingly interdependent world. It’s in this very spirit that I am looking beyond Election Tuesday to another Tuesday three weeks from now, Tuesday, November 27. It’s called – and fast becoming known as – #Giving Tuesday. #GivingTuesday will launch just after another American Tradition: Black Friday and Cyber Monday, when our nation heads to big box stores and the mall, marking the start of holiday shopping season. #GivingTuesday presents a new opportunity to serve as the start of thegiving season: to elevate our goodwill, and to innovate in HOW we are good—not just on one day, but on all days. #GivingTuesday’s campaign headquarters is New York’s 92 nd Street Y, working in partnership with the United Nations foundation. The 92 nd St. Y is a Jewish organization with a longstanding tradition—guided by a set of sustainable values—that inspires it to serve and enrich a broad and diverse community. Full disclosure: I am honored to have recently joined the Y’s Board of Directors. This venerable organization is animated by a universal mission: to repair our world by finding ways to make it stronger, healthier and more diverse. #GivingTuesday is a perfect expression of the very qualities we fear are diminishing in this country: creativity, compassion, and collaboration. #GivingTuesday also celebrates competition, in its ideal form derived from competere, which is about striving together. Above all, these are qualities that contribute to an elevated way of living and doing business, and frankly all that we do, catalyzing the kind of wave that will launch and sustain us on a new journey. More than 500 organizations have been inspired to sign on to #GivingTuesday , designing philanthropic initiatives to launch the movement. It’s a new beginning for many, inspiring employees to give in a new way. Groups of pilots are coming together to fund flight scholarships for people with disabilities. Donors are setting challenge funds for their favorite organizations to match. Parents are scheduling family conversations about giving back. Volunteer groups are planning repairs of distressed parts of our country. Technology leaders are developing new apps to enhance donations. National retailers are rolling out initiatives that will celebrate giving in all their stores. We have a glorious tradition in America of giving and philanthropy. What sets these #GivingTuesday initiatives apart is that they are not just about advocating one cause; instead, they tap into our collective generosity and concern for each other. A 21 st century community is fast forming around HOW we give, one that provides an alternative to top-down, directed programs by encouraging groundswells of enthusiastic participation among the thousands of individuals that make up our institutions, non-profit or for-profit, to design their own ways of giving. Most importantly, #GivingTuesday uniquely encourages organizations to design strategies for giving that authentically further their own missions, bringing companies beyond the realm of “just business” to fully contribute to the creation of a better society. Together, we are giving in ways that integrate with HOW we operate as institutions. We are embarking on a journey to rethink philanthropy, to reshape how we give, and to embed these programs into our operations so that they will extend far beyond November 27. In the spirit of my company LRN’s flat, self-governing culture, I’m inspired that my colleagues across the world have come together to participate in #GivingTuesday in a way that organically connects to our mission of inspiring principled performance. Colleagues are working with local food banks and delivery services, rescue missions, women’s shelters, homeless shelters and environmental cleanup organizations in New York, Los Angeles, London, Mumbai, and in other areas we operate, to achieve the greatest impact possible. It’s my hope this #GivingTuesday will become a new, sustainable American tradition that we will celebrate on every Tuesday following Thanksgiving. It represents precisely the kind of elevated mindset and ethic that can make the daring American journey our reality, landing us on every moon we might dream up. Read More ›
