For many retailers, it was a disappointing holiday weekend as post-Thanksgiving sales slipped 11 percent from last year.
For nonprofits and charities it’s a different story.
Tuesday marks the third annual Giving Tuesday, the charitable counterpart to the unabashed consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Last year, Giving Tuesday raised over $50 million for various charities and nonprofits, and that figure is expected to be surpassed this year.
Created in 2012 by New York’s 92nd St. Y and the United Nations Foundation, Giving Tuesday was inspired by the Jewish value of tikkun olam, “repairing the world.” Since its inception, Giving Tuesday has seen a meteoric rise in popularity, with over 16,000 organizations and countless families, businesses and individuals taking part, according to Giving Tuesday.
Several notable Jewish groups are getting into the giving spirit by matching part or all of their Giving Tuesday donations.
Birthright Israel:
Birthright Israel launched a first-of-its-kind social media campaign to encourage past participants to fund future Birthright trips. All donations are being matched by the Adelson Family Foundation.
UJA-Federation of New York:
UJA-Federation of New York is matching Giving Tuesday donations dollar for dollar. The funds raised will help ease the struggles of the nearly 120,000 Jewish children living in poverty in New York by offering clothes and other goods.
Jewish Women’s Archive:
The Boston-based organization dedicated to documenting and elevating Jewish women’s voices is matching donations to help expand a new collection of stories called Power Couples. “The idea is to create an online collection that pairs trailblazing women of the past with women working today to provide role models for young and women girls,” said JWA’s director of engagement and social media Tara Metal.
Jewish National Fund:
JNF, the Israeli tree-planting stalwart, is matching the first $300,000 raised on Giving Tuesday in hopes of reaching a goal of $1 million. The money will go to a long list of different projects, including bolstering water-renewal systems, creating medical clinics and supporting an incubator project for young farmers.
