Giving back during the holidays is as time-honored tradition as much as the Salvation Army bells ringing outside department stores are.
So much so, that the The New York-based organization, 92Y, in partnership with the United Nations Foundation created a day dedicated to doing so. This year marks the fifth year the United States has designated the Tuesday after Thanksgiving as #GivingTuesday.According to Better Business Bureau, 92Y, in partnership with United Nations Foundation, #GivingTuesday has raised over $116 million dollars in online donations last year from over 700,000 donors.The benefits to donating your time, money and effort to charities is the amazingly warm feeling of helping those in need. For businesses, it shows commitment & concern to their community. It’s also an opportunity for a business to increase their Visibility with their customers, as they align with charities & important causes.Choosing the right charities can be challenging, so here are a few suggestions on how to learn more about the Charity you are donating to.The BBB Wise Giving Alliance has been helping donors on how to find out more information on the organization(s). To learn more on these, visit Give.org to verify if the charity meets the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability.Another way to learn about your charity is making an appointment with someone at the charity to discuss any questions or concerns you may have. Their website is another great source of information, as well as inquiring within your network.Lastly, if you are a charity and want to start the free accreditation process, visit their Free Accreditation Process page.Happy Giving! Happy Holidays! #GivingTuesday
