Make the Most of Giving Tuesday

For many nonprofit organizations, Giving Tuesday is quite a busy day. Gifts flow in by the hundreds, overall participation increases, and donors get the warm fuzzies knowing they made a difference.

When you think of Giving Tuesday, often monetary donations come to mind. However, don’t get discouraged if you are unable to make a monetary gift to your favorite charity as there are many other ways you can contribute without busting out the wallet.

For instance, this year the Omatic team donated 94 pounds of canned food to the Lowcountry Food Bank. 94 pounds! – that’s a whole ‘lotta food. Donating items like pet food to a humane society or toys to a children’s hospital are often just as appreciated as cash, and it’s so easy to make a large impact with just a few desperately-needed items. When in doubt, contact your favorite nonprofit and ask them what items are specifically needed. They may need items you already have lying around your house!

Another way to give back on Giving Tuesday is to donate your time to a local nonprofit or cause. This year, a few members of the Omatic team took a field trip to work at Fresh Future Farm for the morning. Fresh Future Farm is a local nonprofit that provides organic food and employment opportunities in an area of North Charleston, SC, known as the “food desert.” The team got down and dirty on the farm, shoveling soil and digging for worms, and even though it was only for a few hours, it still made a huge impact. Sometimes giving just a little bit of your time can make all the difference.

Finally, if you are able to make a monetary donation on Giving Tuesday, there are ways to maximize your gift while making it fun! At Omatic, we pledged to donate $1 every time someone mentioned us by name on social media. The result? – an extra $50 to Lowcountry Food Bank, where $1 is the equivalent of six meals. That’s 300 meals total! Maximize your monetary gift by holding a fun contest either at work or among your family at the next Thanksgiving meal. On Giving Tuesday, every little bit counts.
Check out Omatic Software’s Caitlyn Fralin and Amanda Tetanich volunteering at Fresh Future Farm!

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