We may feel helpless reading the news and seeing children and families experiencing the horrors of war, seeing the effects of climate change, or hearing stories of families falling through the cracks and experiencing poverty. Yet we do what we can, and one thing we all have the capacity to give is kindness.
GivingTuesday began in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. In 12 years, this idea has grown into a global movement across 90 countries and inspires millions of people to give, collaborate and celebrate generosity.
This week, GivingTuesday launched, “Ordinary Extraordinary Generosity,” a storytelling campaign to amplify the seemingly unnoticed, everyday acts of generosity. As nonprofit leaders, our collective mission is to deliver public good and we want to amplify your stories. What small acts of kindness (small or great) have you experienced, witnessed or put out into the world?
Kindness can mean anything that shows true compassion. Because everyone isn’t in the position to give funds, emerging fundraising recommendations point to a need to shift donor strategy and diversify our asks to engage with underrepresented demographics.
Younger generations were more generous than older generations in 2022
According to the recent GivingTuesday Data Commons report, an emerging global trend is the generosity of
Gen-Z. They gave more often and in more ways in 2022, giving a combination of time, money and advocacy. Older generations still donate more dollars in many countries, but in Brazil and Mexico, the most active donors of money are Gen-Z.
This trend aligns with what we are seeing in Canada. According to CanadaHelps’ 2023 Giving Report, giving from Canadians under 25 jumped 29% in 2020 from 2019. While they contribute a small amount in terms of total donations (approximately 1%), this highlights that there is a growing level of engagement among this demographic.
Youth show up on GivingTuesday
Social media might not be your thing, but it is worth stepping outside your comfort zone to engage the next generation of donors.
Do you have a giving goal outside of fundraising? Do you have a plan to engage young Canadians to support your cause? The main lesson to take away from past analysis is that participating in GivingTuesday can help reach underrepresented youth demographics.
Why not join our storytelling campaign? Share a small act of kindness and inspire your community to share too. People are inspired to give and show up due to personal experiences and storytelling. The sector is full of those stories, and it shows the inspiring and uplifting side of humanity.
Storytelling can help build hype and get people excited about your nonprofit and what you’re doing. That can mean more support and donations down the road.
Tag us in your stories using the hashtag #GivingTuesdayCA and let’s amplify kindness and engage youth together. If you prefer to submit your story to GivingTuesday you can upload it here.
Toni Brem is the country leader for GivingTuesday Canada, and the community coalition leader for DisablityGives. In addition to GivingTuesday’s impact on fundraising, it also generates a massive wave of non-monetary generosity with donated items, hours volunteered and millions advocating on behalf of social causes.
