The first Tuesday after Thanksgiving is known as Giving Tuesday, an opportunity for consumers to give back after holiday shopping begins. GivingTuesday, the organization behind the global generosity movement, is calling communities to action for #GivingTuesdayNow.
In addition to the regularly scheduled Giving Tuesday, #GivingTuesdayNow will take place May 5 and encourage donations to COVID-19 relief efforts. GivingTuesday suggests participating by donating supplies to healthcare workers, buying gift cards from local small businesses and more.
While supporting charitable causes is important, especially in times of crisis, it is also important to stay diligent when making donations. Nearly 200 charity scams were reported across the United States in 2019, with some consumers losing tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
#GivingTuesdayNow takes place shortly after the release of a survey from BBB’s Wise Giving Alliance (WGA). Results show that 30% of individuals intend to increase their charitable giving in 2020. Nearly 24% of survey respondents say they plan to give money to small businesses, and 24.5% say they will look for ways to help unemployed individuals directly.
Consider these tips from your Better Business Bureau when donating to COVID-19 relief efforts:
- Choose your charity wisely. Consider certain factors when picking an organization to donate to. For example, more experienced relief organizations may have the resources and existing connections needed to deliver aid.
- Verify trustworthiness. The best way to avoid charity scams is to donate to a known and trustworthy organization. You can visit give.org to view charities accredited by BBB’s Wise Giving Alliance. Accredited charities meet WGA’s 20 standards of trust.
- Cut out the middleman. Some charities may be collecting money to pass along to a larger organization. Consider donating to that organization directly or choose a charity with a local presence.
- Confirm the charity’s intentions. Look on the charity’s website, social media or other materials to see exactly how it intends to use the funds. Avoid donating if the organization offers vague language without offering specific details as to how donations will be used.
- Understand crowdfunding. It can be difficult to vet individuals using crowdfunding sites to collect donations. Only donate to crowdfunds created by someone you personally know or avoid crowdfunding sites altogether.
Visit now.givingtuesday.org for more information on #GivingTuesdayNow, and BBB.org/coronavirus for a list of WGA accredited charities donating to COVID-19 relief.
ABOUT BBB®: For more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2018, people turned to BBB more than 173 million times for BBB Business Profiles on nearly 5.4 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at bbb.org. The International Association of Better Business Bureaus is the umbrella organization for the local, independent BBBs in the United States, Canada and Mexico, including BBB serving the Heart of Texas, which serves 105 counties and has offices in Austin, Bryan, Corpus Christi, Fort Worth, Midland, San Antonio and Waco.
