OneMama Joins #GivingTuesday-A Day of Philanthropy

Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving – a simple vision fueled by the power of collaboration and social media on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving each year. Last year alone the power of the coalition raised 116 million dollars for charities around the world.

As we approach the end of the year, the greatest gift you can give to others and to yourself is the gift of joy and happiness. Giving is proven to not only help the recipient, but also the person who gives. People who donate to charity are 43% more likely than non-givers to say they are “very happy” about their lives. Volunteers are 42% more likely to be very happy than non-volunteers. Giving in some way can literally shift the levels of happiness you feel in your day-to-day. Even better? Its not just about giving heaps of money either its also about offering up your time and services to serve people and organizations in need.

“Whether you give in a monetary way or you volunteer your time, there in a cultural change as people become more and more dissatisfied with days like Black Friday. People are looking for a more soul satisfaction by wanting to participate in some way for the greater good. They can do so—honor others and themselves—by donating on days like this.” OneMama.org founder, Siobhan Neilland, shares during a fireside chat.

Giving Tuesday is celebrating a shift in culture. OneMama.org is passionately participating for the third year in a row because this day aligns with a message that we believe wholeheartedly in—everyone can make a difference based on their purchasing power and their beliefs to create ripples of change in the world. This day is all about community and connection by uniting in an official day to build a new global economy.

I can speak personally into this. For a number of years, I have volunteered my time and gifts in efforts to help the OneMama community. I have written for the broken hearts, I have delivered real stories, I have sent out words that hold weight and were sometimes filled with difficult topics. I have also written stories of hope and sent out letters of celebration. I am a mother of two and this is my personal currency. I volunteer my time to write for OneMama because I believe in the work. I saw a need and I wanted to help fill it. I know that these are not just words that I send floating into the web-a-sphere but instead, I hope these words are landing on someone who needs them. Giving Tuesday, and giving in general, is about standing side by side with someone in need. The most powerful thing about initiatives like this is everyone is welcome. It doesn’t take a special or specific type of person. Haven’t you heard? I found OneMama through a hashtag.

So, how can YOU get involved?

• This will look different for everyone. You can donate your time, skills, or your money to OneMama.org or another organization that resonates with you!
• Raise your voice on social media by sharing OneMama’s #GivingTuesday posts on our Facebook Page leading up to, on, and even after Tuesday in support of this global day of giving! Get your network involved with amplifying the OneMama social media presence to drive donations.
• Connect with OneMama.org. Send us an email. Tell us what you are passionate about and how you want to better the world with your gifts. If we don’t have something that fits specific to what we are doing with OneMama, we will customize a list of options that are exciting to you. We understand that people get more involved when its something they love and we want to support you in that.
• Donate the traditional way! Give – donate to OneMama’s on the ground operations that we write about here often.
• Do you love writing letters? We have a place for you. You have a heart to help with fundraising? Giving doesn’t always feel glamorous but every little detail is apart of a bigger picture we happily welcome you into!

Giving is healing. I’ve heard this often from others but I’ll never forget my first volunteer trip. You think you are going to go in there and be this magical presence of change. You get humbled real fast. They change you and challenge you. The people who have nothing teach you, who has so much, that it’s the simple things are that are important. That you can smile through the times of challenge and a simple gesture can change everything. Giving Tuesday is our day to unify in this message.