It’s the most wonderful time of the year…and the most charitable.
Giving Tuesday started in 2012 as a way to combat consumerism and consumption during the holiday season by encouraging to practice generosity. The idea behind Giving Tuesday is simple: a day that encourages people to do good. Since then, it has grown into a year-round global movement, participated in by 90 countries, that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generously.
Every act of generosity counts, no matter how small—whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue that people care about, or giving some of what we have to those in need. When we share our time, talent, or treasures, we’re contributing toward building a better world that we all want to live in.
How to participate in Giving Tuesday
This Tuesday, November 28, you or your organization can participate in Giving Tuesday in several different ways:
- Fundraise for a cause you/your company cares about
- Donate to a non-profit or charity of your choosing (Pro tip: Convert some of your unused PTO and use it to donate!)
- Donate your time by taking VTO and volunteering in the community
- Contributing to an emergency relief fund
- Donate your PTO to co-workers in need through a leave-sharing pool
- Power of your voice to the local community
- Support your local social good organizations, mutual aid networks, and community organizers
- Combat loneliness by reaching out to a relative, seniors, or veterans.
- Do an act of kindness or help a neighbor
Participating in Giving Tuesday is excellent for the community, company culture, and employee engagement. Employees are proud to work for companies that promote social good and serve as a pillar in the community. Providing options for employees to give back and strengthen the communities in which they live boosts morale and employee engagement and creates a culture of giving. Moreover, it shows employees you care about them and their financial well-being.
A unique way to participate: Employee relief funds
Simple emergencies can cause significant financial hardship for your employees. 60% of Americans experience a financial shock (the median is $2,000), and half find making ends meet for months difficult.
PTO Exchange is proud to partner with two organizations that specialize in helping companies set up employee relief funds to help their employees when they have suffered unexpected personal hardships or disasters.
Emergency Assistance Foundation (EAF)
The Emergency Assistance Foundation partners with companies—Fund Partners—to help their team members struggling through difficult times. Whether they have suffered an unexpected disaster or personal hardship, EAF’s employer-sponsored relief funds award grants that provide essential financial assistance on the path to recovery.
EAF has administered over 350 relief funds, totaling $260 million in financial assistance. These grants have supported over 12 million employees and 330,000 families in over 93 countries. Additionally:
- 77% of EAF’s grant recipients felt more positively toward their employer
- 76% of grant recipients felt less stressed or worried overall
- 70% felt the grant provided breathing room so recipients could determine the next steps
Read our Partner Profile spotlight on VP of Strategic Initiatives at EAF, Michelle Naggar Reichenbach.
E4E
E4E Relief's Emergency Financial Relief solution provides charitable grants to individuals facing hardships or disasters. These unexpected crises can shatter financial stability, increase stress, and impair overall well-being. For more than 20 years, compassionate companies have seen these moments as an opportunity to support their most valuable asset: their people.
Their world-class technology and expert team of relief advisors, help to extend financial relief to multiple stakeholders across multiple continents, from employees and contractors to suppliers and the broader community.
How does emergency financial relief work? A disaster hits an area where you have a large concentration of key stakeholders, including employees and suppliers. With the cost of evacuations and repair, those individuals find themselves struggling to get out of harm's way and make ends meet.
If your company has an emergency financial relief program, those individuals have a place to turn to avoid additional negative consequences. They visit your relief platform to apply for relief, and if approved, a charitable grant is disbursed directly to their account to help cover the costs of unexpected expenses.
Read our blog that highlights our partnership with E4E Relief!
Canary
Canary designs, hosts, and manages employee relief funds for people-centered companies of any size to empower immediate, meaningful employee financial well-being. Grant Circle, Canary’s emergency relief fund and disaster relief solution, gives companies the fastest path to financial relief in uncertain times.
Grant Circles connects people experiencing financial hardships with the money they need to regain financial stability. They empower companies to quickly pivot in response to current events and the evolving needs of employees. Canary’s technology and services enable its clients (employers, non-profits, and others) to give employees money at pivotal moments in their lives with dignity and efficiency.
Canary believes that the right money at the right time matters: it gives people the peace of mind and confidence to recover from emergencies and to invest in their futures.
Watch our Partner Profile spotlight we did with the Founder and CEO of Canary, Rachel Schnieder.
Participate in Giving Tuesday
You can make a difference this Giving Tuesday. Donate your time, talents, or money to help co-workers in need or to give back to your community. Share on social media how you’re giving back to your community on November 28 with the hashtag #GivingTuesday.
Learn more about how PTO Exchange can help your company set up an employee relief fund today.
Published on Nov 08, 2023 by Marketing
