How Giving Tuesday went global and viral

Amazing things can start from a breakfast conversation

The holiday season has become marked as a time of vigorous shopping for decades, especially in countries with a consumeristic economy. (But, then again, in our multinational world, what country is immune?) And with the advent of the internet and online shopping, Cyber Monday was added to Black Friday.

Then in 2012, Giving Tuesday was born to prompt a counter-cultural response in the midst of the frenzy. It all started with a breakfast conversation that Henry Timms and his wife. Wonder what they had for breakfast. :)

“We were thinking, ‘Black Friday, Cyber Monday — two days all about individualism and commercialism,’” says Timms, the community center’s executive director. “We thought it would be a good idea to have something on Tuesday, and that philanthropy ought to be a part of this mix.”

The back story has been told well in a number of places; here’s a couple:

How #GivingTuesday Came to Life (Carnegie Reporter)

How Giving Tuesday became a worldwide phenomenon (Fast Company)

Today is the tenth year of #GivingTuesday, and its a movement that’s grown to 80 countries (officially), over 300 campaigns in the USA, thousands of nonprofits, and inspiring more than 84% of people to give.

In a day and age where we’re all bombarded with marketing and advertising messages to buy, buy, buy, what would it look like to live in a world where it’s offset with a healthy dose of generosity? Giving Tuesday is working on its next little movement: #GivingEveryTuesday.

What causes do people give to?

People give to all kinds of causes for different reasons. Here’s the top causes on Giving Tuesday 2021 according to major social feeds: