Keynote Presentation by CEO of GivingTuesday 

Asha Curran, CEO, GivingTuesday was the keynote speaker at the March 21^st Donor Participation Program hosted by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance in New York City. (The full remarks can be viewed here.) Asha shared the history of the organization which was “created in 2012 with a simple idea – a day to encourage people to do good.” Over 12 years, this idea has grown into a global movement that inspires millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. She explained that one of the engines of its success was that they “broke the rules,” they decided not to “brand” it. Instead, they allowed the idea behind GivingTuesday to go viral and be adapted by others to help spread the intended generosity mission. For example, Dress for Success, which helps provide professional attire to help women thrive, created “Giving Shoesday.” Overall, the program has grown immensely since its founding and helped raise $3.1 billion on November 28th in the U.S. in 2023. In addition, GivingTuesday now takes place in 101 countries. While the heart shaped logo is used in some form by all of these participating programs, many have incorporated their respective country’s colors and/or other modifications to reflect their culture. Mission over brand is a core concept at GivingTuesday, the name and logo is less important than what you are seeking to achieve.

In response to concerns about the decline in the number of households that are donating to charity in the U.S., Asha said she believes generosity is abundant and that people’s political world view does not affect their generosity mindset. Collective giving can help inspire people to recognize that they can be part of something bigger than themselves. In part, the charitable sector needs to move from transactional fundraising to relational fundraising. Finally, she noted that we may need to step away from a word like “donor” and instead think of supporters as champions, leaders, or ambassadors so they can be viewed as owners of their mission. For more, see the full presentation.

Heart of Giving Podcast

This week’s Heart of Giving Podcast features a second visit with Aaron Bass, CEO of EastSide Charter School in Wilmington, Delaware. Aaron is re-thinking K-12 education for underprivileged children by also supporting their families and the larger community.

Recent Reports

We are always working with charities to publish or update reports for donors. Visit Give.org or local BBBs to check out any charity before giving. Our recently evaluated charities include:

• Gift of Life International
  
• Western Resource Advocates
• Make-A-Wish Wisconsin

Finally, remember to let us know by going to give.org/charity-inquiry if you are interested in seeing a report on a charity not on the list and we will do our best to produce one.