Giving for today and every day: 12 ideas with something for everyone
With GivingTuesday upon us, we’ve been thinking a lot about how and why we give. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. How can we make a difference starting this Giving Tuesday and beyond?
One of the greatest impacts we can make as a community is sharing many small gifts that add up, continuing that giving spirit in our everyday lives. Here are some ideas from our team that help keep us grounded in giving:
- Take care of a friend’s pet or home while they are out of town.
- Buy coffee for the car behind you in the drive-thru line.
- Volunteer at your favorite non-profit organization.
- Donate to the local food pantry.
- Tip extra generously to your servers at a restaurant.
- Offer a night of babysitting to a worn-out parent in your life.
- Like, share, engage, & promote a cause or non-profit that is important to you on social media.
- Donate top requested items for the unhoused (socks, t-shirts, etc.)
- Share a positive affirmation with someone you care about or the cashier at the grocery store!
- Give the gift of giving! Instead of simply giving material gifts this year, consider making a tribute gift in honor of someone you care for. In this way, you can share the joy of giving while benefiting an organization your loved ones care about!
- Update your will or life insurance to include a planned gift to an organization that is important to you. Make sure to let the organization know your intent, also, so they can provide you with any instructions that you might need to share with your estate planner or attorney.
- Make a philanthropy budget for the next year for your household. Specify how much of your household income you want to commit to charity, and plan out the organizations you want to support by their priorities for your whole household. This can be a great way to bring your family together and to teach children the value of giving. Always leave yourself a small bucket of “discretionary” funds so you can give to things you didn’t anticipate throughout the year without exceeding your capacity.
Get a little something back
Giving grows our mindset and research shows that giving will improve your self-esteem, increase your sense of connection to the world, and make you a happier healthier person overall. Thinking about those around us whose days we can brighten by giving of our richness, whether that be our time, talent, actions, finances, or resources; together we can make a lasting impact. To give positivity to one another at Buzzbold, we begin each day with a stand-up of gratitude to set the tone and carry that culture forward to our customers. We strive to be bold in our actions and service.
At Buzzbold, we are grateful to serve non-profits every day that are looking to organize processes and eliminate pain points surrounding donor management, volunteers, engagement, etc. We help these organizations navigate that world, design the solutions, and walk down the path with our customers during implementation so they can use those tools to build upon that investment. We are dedicated to having the technology function seamlessly so they can focus on their bigger goals and mission. In addition to supporting non-profit clients through our daily work, Buzzbold believes in the Pledge 1% model of corporate philanthropy. This means that we pledge 1% of our equity, time, and product to non-profits in our local community of Saint Louis, Missouri. Find out more about the Pledge 1% initiative. Our core values at Buzzbold are Trust, Inclusion, & Growth, and being a part of the Pledge 1% program gives us a way to put those values into action.
