Is there a cause you’re passionate about? What about an organization whose mission you wholeheartedly believe in? Since 2012, people have come together on Giving Tuesday to help important organizations. In this blog post, we will talk about what Giving Tuesday is and its impact on nonprofit organizations, as well as share ideas on how to help.

What is Giving Tuesday?

Giving Tuesday occurs every year after Cyber Monday (that means Giving Tuesday 2020 is on December 1 this year). It’s a global movement smack dab in the heart of our holiday season that inspires people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity through volunteering, monetary donations, and other acts of kindness.

As you may have guessed, Giving Tuesday is a big day for many nonprofit organizations. While it began in 2012, 2019 was the most successful year to date.

Here’s a look at some numbers. In 2019:

• Over $511 million was given online in the U.S.
• 13% of U.S. population participated in some capacity
• 58% of nonprofit organizations in the U.S. and Canada participated
• Average monetary gift size was $117

How to Help

While we understand that 2020 has been a trying time for individuals and organizations alike, we’re hopeful that the spirit of Giving Tuesday lives on. There are many ways to support both national and local nonprofits. As a Wisconsin nonprofit, we’ve sorted them into three categories of giving: time, talent, and money.

1. Give Time: Volunteering is the bread and butter of every nonprofit organization. It certainly is ours! We are passionate about volunteering, ourselves, from helping to tidy up our local thrift stores to playing with the pups at our local rescue center. People who volunteer with Covey help our clients build social skills and help us to create connections with our community. If you’d like to know more about becoming a volunteer in Oshkosh or Appleton, we have an app for that! Fill out our simple volunteer application form – we’d love to have you!
2. Give Talent: Are you familiar with our Covey Connects program? Through an interactive series of virtual courses, we teach life enrichment and social development skills. Clients broaden their horizons and discover their passions through subjects like music, watercolor, fishing, cooking, yoga, and more. We are always seeking gifted individuals to share their experiences and insights. Contact us today if you would love to become a Covey Connects instructor!
3. Give Money: Dollars are always put to good use at Covey, and this year is so exciting for us because an anonymous donor is matching all monetary donations up to $30,000 on Giving Tuesday! This individual does this every year, and we are so thankful for their generosity and support. We accept donations through our how to help page, Thrivent, and Amazon Smile.

How Your Donation Impacts Our Organization

• $10 donation could provide registration fee for one individual to participate in a life enrichment event
• $25 could help an L.E. participant build a social network or learn a new skill
• $50 can cover the cost of an outing for individuals with limited opportunity to go out in their community
• $100 can provide an afternoon of respite relief for a caregiver
• $300 can help a youth learn to ride a conventional two-wheel bike
• $500 can cover two months of transportation costs for our programs
• $750 can provide a full weekend of respite relief for a caregiver or provide for an emergency respite stay
• $1000 can help us purchase essential equipment needed to properly care for our participants, such as a lift or adaptive communication device

Reasons to Give

There are many reasons to donate to any non-profit. It improves the community you live in, it creates opportunities for individuals who may not otherwise have them, it makes you feel good as a person especially during the holiday season, and many more.

There are also many reasons to give to Covey specifically, the biggest reason is if you have a loved one that you know with I/DD. However, if you don’t here are some reasons your time and money would be well spent through Covey.

• An anonymous donor will match every dollar donated up to $30,000
• Covey provides more than 1,000 hours of respite care each month and increasing
• The top donors will win Covey merchandise including a hoodie, caps, and coffee cups.
• Covey is in the process of growing and expanding our service mix
• And many more

We’re In This Together

Covey’s mission is to empower individuals with disabilities and their families. By providing a safe place for individuals to socialize, feel accepted, and learn valuable life skills, not only do they engage with our community – their families do, too! We love being able to serve our community by volunteering and providing respite care. We sincerely appreciate all of our supporters.

Participating in Giving Tuesday is simple and rewarding! To donate to Covey, visit our how to help page. Together, we can enrich the lives of individuals with disabilities and their families.