giving tuesday (a week late)
giving tuesday rounds out a slew of marketers' holidays starting with black friday on what used to be the friday after thanksgiving. i'm not sure if there's any consensus about when black friday actually is anymore. the sales seem to start after halloween in my area. in that vein, i think giving tuesday should claim its own large nebulous span of time, too, especially during the holidays.
i've been thinking a lot about my relationship with giving and it has evolved over the years, most dramatically since having children. i grew up in a large household and inherited a scarcity mindset because there was only so much time, money, and attention for any of us. giving among us was never something that was really encouraged, either, perhaps it cost too much. i'm not sure. breaking that cycle, i make sure our kids select gifts for each other's birthdays and holidays. they enjoy picking things out and their eyes are just as big when they watch the other open it. they already love giving and i'm so happy about that.
in all fairness, i haven't really had disposable income very long. and i don't really know if i do to be honest (kids' college funds glaring at me). i went from broke college student to broke law student to broke unemployed lawyer to broke employed lawyer-expecting-my-first-child to broke employed mother-of-two-lawyer. i am not exaggerating when i say i felt like i had "made it" at 30 because I finally had health insurance. through marriage. my point is, i didn't exactly have a ton of resources. so when i used those resources to buy something people didn't like, it was enough to make me want to quit trying. real talk.
i remember visiting my husband's family one year, and we'd gotten one of his younger cousins this watch i thought she'd like. i spent time and energy trying to figure out what we'd get a preteen who really just wants an iphone or some other expensive gadget we weren't buying. i remembered liking watches at that age because they made me feel older. it was my best guess. her family did the routine stop by grandma's house, opened presents, and baby cuz left the watch where she opened it, didn't even take it with her family when they left. in retrospect, i should've returned it lol. i'm sure it ended up in a north carolina landfill.
But never fear, there is one gift that's ALWAYS appreciated: charitable contributions!
leading up to and following "official" giving tuesday, i was thinking about the causes i actively support and the ones where i should probably start paying up. i encourage you to do the same, particularly if you're in a position to do so. consider creating a charitable portfolio, like an investment portfolio, and diversify! try to give to small and large organizations, local and national ones. i realized pretty quickly that i should be sending money to my local public radio stations (weta and wpfw). i've listened for decades and haven't given money in a very long time. i want to donate money to atlanta public schools, as well (looong story). my husband's aunt's non-profit, whirlidogs, offers job training and opportunities for people with disabilities and we've been meaning to send her a check for months now (it's coming with the christmas card, wesley!). a few local ones I support are food and friends which makes and delivers healthy and nutritious meals for people with life-challenging illnesses and the japanese american care fund which supports the japanese community in the dc area, and to round things out, i have recurring monthly donations set up for the equal justice initiative (eji) and be the match (national bone marrow registry). all of these organizations are truly near and dear to my heart.
i encourage you to think about what is near and dear to yours and open up that wallet today! you can also add your favorite charities to your list of preferences in pleasy and let your friends and family support them on your behalf, too! what are you waiting for? everyone will thank you for it!