Giving Tuesday is now in it's fourth year in Canada. After four years, I have to ask the question: is there something to this? 

Let's look at the foundations of fundraising. A good campaign is about people helping people. Every fundraiser worth their weight will tell you that giving is all about the same donation equation: one person giving funds to help XX person(s) in need - for a donor it's not about the organization. It's a desire to make the world a more just and peaceful place for us all.

Giving Tuesday goes against all of that. Giving Tuesday is about offsetting your guilty conscience from Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. Sure, it's framed as a "movement of giving". The day has some good PR. But, the question remains: is Giving Tuesday a campaign worthy of the time and energy of fundraisers? Does it carry weight and give you a return (i.e., donations to fund your work) that charities wouldn't otherwise see through regular holiday giving?

According to CanadaHelps, Canadians make more than one-third of all donations in December. This data was measured over the last decade. With the dawn of Giving Tuesday in Canada just four years ago, I wonder if December donations now just trickle over to a new date on the calendar. After all, we love our celebration days (who knew there was a World Earmuffs Day?!). It feels good to get in on the action and be part of a global movement. There's a hashtag (#GivingTuesdayCA), we can get in on the trend, we can brag about our generosity on the same day, it's a conversation piece. And perhaps that's where the beauty of Giving Tuesday lies: in its ability to connect the world in our humanity to help one another.

Canada has created a meaningful movement through Giving Tuesday. Last year, more than 5700 charities participated, and an estimated 6.2 million Canadians took part in some way (donating, volunteering, or spreading awareness). Yes, that's an impressive turnout. However, let's also consider that more than 80% of Canadians give to a charitable organization each year. That means there's a large portion of philanthropic individuals who are not being engaged through Giving Tuesday.

War Child Canada is (in my books) doing incredible work in helping children in war-affected countries across the world. But where they really set themselves apart for me is in the conversation they have with their donors. It's not about a warm, fuzzy feeling - they have a grown-up conversation with their donors. It's not scare tactics. It's not pedantic. They present a reality and ways for their community to take action and create real change. It's that simple. 

I was recently at a lecture series: Stephen Lewis interviewed Dr. Samantha Nutt (Founder and Executive Director of War Child Canada) about where the world is going on the humanitarian front. It was a stunning couple hours listening to these two incredible humans chat about the state of social justice across the globe. Of the many takeaways I had from the event was this from Dr. Nutt: "Donors can be more sophisticated and have a relationship with an organization and have a better understanding of development."

I love this. And it really moved something in me, particularly as a communicator in the nonprofit sector. And this leads to War Child's approach to Giving Tuesday: they took the day to share videos from three Country Directors in Uganda, Jordan and Iraq to discuss the realities in each of their respective countries. Again, this goes back to treating donors like adults and providing them with a grown-up conversation as to what's happening around the world. Of course, this was tied to an ask around Giving Tuesday. But first, they provided information, they granted access to those at the community level to tell the story of what's happening and what more needs to be done. Kudos, War Child.

At this same lecture, Stephen Lewis mentioned that at the Stephen Lewis Foundation, they do not take part in Giving Tuesday. For the Foundation this makes a lot of sense: World AIDS Day was just three days later and that's a more significant day for their community of donors.

I'm glad Giving Tuesday has come to Canada. Any movement that encourages Canadians to do more to help those who need it most is worthy. However, I think every charity needs to think critically about whether or not the movement meets their strategy to reach their community of donors.