Giving Tuesday
Giving Tuesday is a day to give back to communities, charities, organizations, and events after the spending of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. A donation is made into a Salvation Army red kettle on Giving Tuesday on November 28, 2017 in Hallandale, Florida. Giving Tuesday is a single day following the heavy Thanksgiving shopping period specifically focused on charity. Getty Images/Joe Raedle

With the holidays in full gear, now is the time to think about giving back to others for being so fortunate throughout the year. To help people remember the importance of giving, Tuesday has been proclaimed Giving Tuesday.

Giving Tuesday is a global day when the world comes together and gives back to the communities, organizations, charities, and events that mean something to them. The day is always celebrated the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving as the charitable season beckons its head and people begin to focus on their end-of-year donations.

Giving Tuesday, itself, was started in 2012 by the Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact. This 92nd Street Y, New York City, New York, community and cultural center wanted to develop a way to counteract the consumer behavior following Black Friday and Cyber Monday – hence Giving Tuesday was created.

According to the official Giving Tuesday organization, one of the best ways that people can get involved on Tuesday is to give back to their own community. The organization has even developed a directory for people to browse to find places to give back right in their own backyard.

The Giving Tuesday organization encourages people to give the best way that they can whether it be through time, a donation or through the power of their own voice in their own hometown. The generous day is marked by the hashtag #GivingTuesday, which the organization encourages people to post on social media any way they can or with what it calls an #UNselfie to talk about their donations on this day.

Giving Tuesday is marked by generous donations to favorite charities and is considered one the greatest donation days for many organizations. According to the Giving Tuesday organization, over $300 million has been raised online, in addition, to even more given back in volunteer hours, donations of food and clothing, and acts of kindness. A total of $2.5 million has been raised by the organization with 2.7 billion social media impressions for the day, it said.

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