Column: Dr. Virgil On ‘Giving Tuesday’ & More
[Opinion column written by Dr. Myra Virgil]
Tuesday, December 3, 2024, will be acknowledged in almost 100 countries around the world as Giving Tuesday. Its purpose is as simple and uncomplicated as it gets: to encourage people to do good.
Giving Tuesday began in 2012 in the US as a collaboration between the United Nations Foundation and the 92nd Street YMCA in New York City. From these humble beginnings it has blossomed into a global movement generating millions of dollars every year.
It is of course scheduled to follow those days of rampant spending – Black Friday and Cyber Monday – while preceding the excesses of Christmas. This makes it the perfect moment for us to reflect on whether everyone is in a position to enjoy this special time of the year.
The timing of Giving Tuesday sends a clear message: it can be a lonely, frustrating, crushingly depressing time for many. When you’re home insecure, you have no money, you’re tired, have health issues or can’t even put enough food on the table let alone buy Christmas gifts for your loved ones or when you have lost a loved one, or are dealing with a family member who is struggling with addiction…yet all around you is music, laughter, festivity, merry-making…that’s tough.
The term being used this year to galvanise our giving practices is “radical generosity”. It’s meant to encourage us to root our everyday actions, decisions and behaviours in the idea that the suffering of others should be as intolerable to us as our own suffering. Radical generosity invites people to give what they can to create systemic change. In the words of one of the founders of the Giving Tuesday nonprofit, “Radical for us actually means how can generosity become embedded even in our most mundane micro actions. Generosity is not only a value expressed in a transactional way, but really in the way we treat our fellow humans in every interaction, every day of our lives.”
The inequities of the world will not be solved by one consciousness-raising day – but it does provide an opportunity to reflect and maybe start something that goes beyond this one Tuesday in the year. On its website, Giving Tuesday describes itself as “a global generosity movement unleashing the power of the people and organisations to transform their communities and world…”.
This is the Bermuda Foundation’s [BF] 6th year of involvement, because we believe that it increases support for Bermuda’s charities. The period commencing Giving Tuesday through to Christmas 2023 saw $315,000 donated through GiveBermuda, the BF’s giving platform. The funding was certainly needed. The not-for-profit sector provides essential services to our community, social services that are needed more than ever today. The nonprofit organisations support the under-served and deliver programmes that enhance our quality of life. Yet, the sector suffers from a critical lack of resources in this challenging financial climate.
We’ll need to keep stepping in and stepping up to help, as a community. We would not want nonprofits and charities to be forced to close their doors leaving members of the community abandoned. Make no mistake, we will all bear the brunt if there are no organisations taking care of children, feeding people, supporting families in need and young people at risk, monitoring our environment, fostering the arts, conducting field research and training people on how to deliver this important work. And increasingly, helping those of us who have lost loved ones from illness to violence, grieve. What kind of a community will we be then? Arguably, one that is unsafe, unhealthy and soulless.
It’s easy to say “give – and give generously”, but we all know it’s harder than it looks. You have worked hard to earn your money, and whether you’re making an investment in the stock market or in your community, you want it to deliver on its promise.
GiveBermuda, a local platform that enables people to search for not-for-profits by name, cause or keyword, is a good place to start. GiveBermuda is a useful way of identifying those organisations working in the area you’d like to support. For anyone who wants to give to the community, but doesn’t know where to begin, try it. To support a local nonprofit today, go to www.givebermuda.org.
Let’s make #Giving Tuesday 2024 count!
- Dr. Myra Virgil, Managing Director of the Bermuda Foundation.
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