Taking place on the Tuesday after U.S. Thanksgiving in the United States, #GivingTuesday is a movement to create an international day of charitable giving at the beginning of the Christmas and holiday season.
On December 3rd, 2019, the most recent Giving Tuesday increased charitable donations in Canada by 75 percent.
With many charities facing a pandemic-fuelled cash crunch at a time when vulnerable Canadians, medical researchers and the healthcare community need them most, a new offshoot of Giving Tuesday is rallying Canadians around the unprecedented need caused by the COVID-19 crisis.
#GivingTuesdayNow is today, May 5th and a jolt of generosity cannot come soon enough for the 70 percent of charitable organizations reporting a decline in revenues.
Imagine Canada projects that the sector needs $10 billion in government support to survive, far less than the $350 million provided by Ottawa’s new Emergency Community Support Fund.
It is estimated that COVID-19 will reduce charities’ revenues by between $9 billion and $15 billion, and lead to more than 100,000 layoffs, in what Imagine Canada describes as “the most devastating financial situation that charities and nonprofits have experienced.”
The good news: Donation-matching and #GivingTuesdayNow campaigns by businesses, the charitable sector and government are multiplying donations like never before and engaging with Canadians who want to give but aren’t sure how to make the greatest impact.
At Capital Power in Edmonton, for instance, an employee program administered by Vancouver’s Charitable Impact has temporarily increased its limit to $50,000 until May 8th to encourage more giving during the COVID-19 pandemic. By combining this with the Government of Alberta’s own new matching program, gifts can quadruple.
Likewise, Charitable Impact’s new #ChooseYourImpact campaign is matching donations up to a maximum of $10,000 until May 31st.
After seeing COVID-related donations soar by nearly 800 percent in April, Charitable Impact has launched a dedicated #GivingTuesdayNow site and is encouraging donations this month with a $5,000 contest. Five new or recurring Charitable Impact donors have the chance to win 1,000 charitable dollars each.
Not in a position to give? You can give as little as $5 per month to enter the contest, so give now and create a lasting impact for the future.