THE DAYS OF CONSUMERISM

Year after year, days like Black Friday or Cyber Monday are becoming some of the most famous and influential events in our Western contemporary world: imported from the North American lifestyle, these unique events are turning into real traditions in the name of capitalism. While in Europe this post-modern tradition is just another opportunity, among the many others we have, for buying products at favorable prices, in the United States this practice is often characterized by real assaults to the stores, and people are tempted to spend as much money as they can to satisfy their presumed needs. This is capitalism displaying all its glory.

 

THE #GIVINGTUESDAY MOVEMENT

It is precisely in New York, the beating heart of the western world, that, in 2012, from 92Y Street NGO and the United Nations Foundation, the #GivingTuesday movement was born.

Conceived as a 1-day event to be put in contrast with the days of unbridled spending and to strengthen the culture of “gift and solidarity”, this day of the year – the first Tuesday after Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday – allows everyone to voluntarily donate something of their own to the others. Whether it is the time directly invested in volunteering, or money donated to projects aimed at achieving humanitarian objectives of various kinds, or even simply a gesture of kindness towards the others, every act of solidarity and generosity contributes to make this unique day the engine of change for a better world.

This initiative has become an actually global movement and, in 2017, it landed in Italy, thanks to the commitment of AIFR, the Italian Fundraising Association. The members of AIFR say: “We discovered about #GivingTuesday in mid-2017 in Spain during an event where we met the movement founders Asha Curran and Henry Timms. In Italy, #GivingTuesday was not known yet and there was no local committee, but we were aware that we could not stay out of this international conversation on solidarity”. The association managed to channel its energies also into this initiative, allowing the Italian voluntary sector to take advantage of further support and act in the social world in an even more concrete and effective way. Through the website and the online crowdfunding platform, anyone has the opportunity to donate money to directly support the various associations and projects that are presented and illustrated.

 

MAKING GENEROSITY GO VIRAL

This new movement is growing and developing all around the world: on December 1st 2020, the last GivingTuesday, in the United States alone, it is estimated that a total of 2.5 billion dollars were raised, recording a 25% increase in donations compared to 2019, of which approximately 808 million dollars were donated directly through online platforms.

This is not something that is limited to America. We can observe that, in 2020, this movement spread to a dozen other nations, including Chile, Ghana, Ireland, and Italy, where it has been growing a lot. “More than 300 organizations have chosen to participate joining their voice to that of the others on the online portal givingtuesday.it” and “last year, through the Giving Tuesday contest and the My Giving Story initiative, we were able to support 6 charitable projects of different categories with a total of 16,500 euros”. But it doesn’t stop there. In May 2020, together with the other global leaders, AIFR established another “union” day to support the populations of the entire world during the lockdown to fight against the pandemic and its side effects: “We encouraged people to donate, support their neighbors, have comforting words or a kind gesture for the others, and share what are the good practices to fight the virus; with the aim of facing the difficult situation together and promoting the exchange of ideas that could be quickly replicated all over the world“.

 

A GLOBAL MISSION TO TAKE FORWARD

As recalled by the AIFR itself, “Today there is even more need for unity, for setting common goals and building a stronger network to support ourselves“; Giving Tuesday represents a great opportunity to make a common front and to spread the culture of gifting as much as possible, as a way to make the world a better place. And to go beyond the selfishness and individualism into which our lifestyle traps us sometimes. The messages of strength, hope, and the union that the #GivingTuesday movement launches with its initiatives mean precisely that “everyone of us is important and every gifting act can trigger the change we want to see in the world. It doesn’t matter what or how much you donate, but it is through the act of giving that we can feel stronger and closer to one another, a large global community that collaborates to build a more cohesive society“.