Let us give a prayerful nod to our nation’s six days of thanks at the end of every November.
On Thursday, we celebrated the harvest and the blessings of the past year on Thanksgiving Day, our annual national holiday marked by a healthy stream of football, family and food, including the bounties of turkey, dressing, gravy, sweet potatoes and plenty of desserts.
On Friday, we celebrate shopping with Black Friday where deals to the end of the horizon beckon us to spend money on things we need — and lots that we probably don’t.
On Saturday, we tip the hat to small businesses on a day created by American Express to steer holiday spending towards small businesses that power the American economy.
On Sunday, we gave thanks to our God or to whatever Great Spirit you might celebrate.
On Monday, we gave thanks to the computer and more electronic deals offered throughout the internet on Cyber Monday.
And on Tuesday, let’s not forget a relatively new thanksgiving day, Giving Tuesday. It’s a day created 11 years ago with the simple idea of encouraging people to do good with simple but radical acts of charity. The movement has been embraced by the world’s nonprofits, which rely on the generosity of donors at the end of the year.
“This is our highest volume time of year in terms of what we give in grants as a foundation, as well as contributions to local nonprofits by our donors,” Coastal Community Foundation President and CEO Darrin Goss told the Charleston City Paper. “Nonprofits receive a large portion of their annual donations in the months of November and December, so they are counting on year-end giving to meet the needs of our community.”
If you don’t know much about Giving Tuesday, check social media for #GivingTuesday to learn about local opportunities to make a difference. But be wary of scammers by only giving to charities that you’re sure exist and offer secure donation platforms. Even better — send a check.
The Coastal Community Foundation also recommends that you involve the whole family in charitable giving. A 2013 study, for instance, found that children whose parents talked with them about giving to others were 20% more likely to give to charity than kids whose parents didn’t discuss giving with them.
You can also make giving fun for the whole family by being creative. An example: Give a set of pennies, each representing $10, to your children and leave it up to them to research and consider how to give the money to local causes that they find important. They can allocate the money however they want, which empowers and invests them in giving locally.
But giving back isn’t just about money. You also can consider ways for the whole family to volunteer for charity — at a local food bank, pet adoption center, church, shelter or any of the hundreds of local organizations that are doing good, day in and day out.
This Thanksgiving season is all about, well, giving thanks. A great way to do that is to give back to our community.
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