#GivingTuesday isn’t about asking for donations

Visit the #GivingTuesday website and you’ll find the following text on their home page:

We have a day for giving thanks. We have two for getting deals. Now, we have #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back. On Tuesday, December 2, 2014, charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give.
It’s a simple idea. Just find a way for your family, your community, your company or your organization to come together to give something more. Then tell everyone you can about how you are giving. Join us and be a part of a global celebration of a new tradition of generosity.

It is a simple idea, and it’s one we’ve supported since our inception: why give more stuff when you could instead give the experience of supporting a cause your recipient loves? It’s exciting to see this new idea take off. #GivingTuesday has exploded in popularity in the last few years, thanks in no small part to the wonderful work done by charities to help spread the word. Many nonprofits will ask for your support today, and we hope you will do what you can for the causes you care about, but at TisBest we have a little different take on #GivingTuesday.

Since 2007 we’ve raised funds for hundreds of nonprofit organizations. We’ve sent millions of dollars to hundreds of charities, and we continue to grow. Rather than solicit funds from donors, we simply ask that you pay it forward, using our charity gift cards. Your TisBest donation gift allows your recipient to support the cause of their choice, whether it’s protecting the environment, conducting medical research, feeding the hungry, or rescuing an endangered species. TisBest cards aren’t reserved exclusively for the holidays: you can pay it forward all year long for birthdays, Mother’s Day, teacher gifts, Father’s Day, or just being ready with a memorable hostess gift. We hope your #GivingTuesday (which we’d love to see expanded to #GivingAnyDay!) will be spent not only supporting your favorite causes directly, but also encouraging your friends and family to do the same. The easiest way to encourage others to give back? Hand them a charity gift card pre-loaded with funds they can use to support causes they care about.
 
 
 Jon Siegel is the Executive Director of TisBest Philanthropy.  Connect with Jon on LinkedIn.