Since its start in 2012, the Giving Tuesday campaign, initiated by the 92^nd Street Y in New York City, helped create a designated day for giving on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving in the U.S. It has since grown into a social media powerhouse that helped raise $116 million in 71 countries and generated 114 billion impressions on Twitter and reached over 917,000 Facebook users. (For the past two years, BBB Wise Giving Alliance and Better Business Bureaus advised participants in this campaign to give wisely by verifying if their selected charities meet the BBB Charity Standards). 

Seeing the success of this phenomenon, a number of new “giving days” have emerged.  In order to prompt alumni giving, especially from younger graduates, various college and universities have created their own special days of giving.  As reported in The Chronicle of Philanthropy this month, the University of Michigan was able to raise $4.4 million in 24 hours for its designated giving day in 2015. Some schools reportedly were seeking to increase donor participation rather than just dollars. 

Not only charities, but fundraising companies are also seeking to engage in giving days. For example, Kimbia, an online fundraising and crowdfunding platform, working with The K Foundation, a donor advised fund, helped start  its own Give Local America campaign two years ago and had Tuesday, May 3, 2016 as its Give Local America day. The campaign also worked with community foundations and provided participating communities with logos, templates and other graphics to help carry out local campaigns for the May 3^rd event. (The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that Kimbia’s online giving software experienced problems during this May 3^rd campaign that impacted the ability of many donors to contribute.)

As future giving calendars are likely to see even more designated giving days, BBB Wise Giving Alliance reminds potential donors to verify the trustworthiness of charities by visiting Give.org to verify if the charity meets our 20 holistic standards. 

On a separate note, as part of our Building Trust Video Series we are pleased to provide a video featuring Dr. Preston W. Campbell III,  President and CEO of Cystic Fibrosis Foundation  (a BBB Accredited Charity) which seeks to cure cystic fibrosis and to provide all people with the disease the opportunity to lead full, productive lives by funding research and drug development, promoting individualized treatment, and ensuring access to high quality, specialized care. 

We are always working with charities to publish or update reports for donors. Visit Give.org or local BBBs to check out any charity before giving. Our recently evaluated charities include: 

• American Rivers
• CRISTA Ministries
• TechnoServe 

Finally, remember to let us know by going to https://give.org/ask-us-about-a-charity1/ if you are  interested in seeing a report on a charity not on the list and we will do our best to produce one.  

H. Art Taylor, President & CEO
BBB Wise Giving Alliance