After #GivingTuesdayNow, where do we go from here? A new ritual for a new normal.
Looking ahead to a re-opened world, it’s tempting to seek a return to ‘normal.’ We want to connect, laugh, cry and hug — not from a distance, but up close. We also crave agency, and the power to live as we wish in a safe and healthy community.
The GivingTuesday movement has always connected people to their individual power to do good. In the time of the pandemic, it has been a powerful antidote to the feelings of helplessness and hopelessness that so many have felt in the face of isolation and social distance. As we move forward in time and look toward the post-crisis world, we see an opportunity to rebuild, not as we were, but as we wish to be. We want to seize the opportunity to rethink how we want to live together and to embrace the good that has come from our isolation: the surge of collective action, generosity and civic participation that we have witnessed in the face of the COVID-19 crisis.
Let’s keep giving, clapping, singing, and serving each other. Let’s keep standing up for our families, neighbors, communities and countries. Let’s embrace a new generosity ritual, one in when we wake up every Tuesday asking ourselves,”What good can I do today?” Let’s make giving on Tuesdays a ritual as ingrained as days devoted to spiritual connection, back-to-work Mondays and Throwback Thursdays.
Why? Because generosity is transformative, not just in response to a crisis or as fuel for nonprofits, but also as a powerful accelerator of civic participation. Often, when individuals experience the power of impact that arises from generous acts, they unlock their passion for civic action, democratic engagement, and other positive pursuits within communities and across borders.
Imagine a world where the legacy of the pandemic is a more just and generous world. We plan to work toward that. We invite you to join us.
