Giving Tuesday 2023: 7 Easy Steps to Make It a Family Event

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving, sometimes known as Giving Tuesday, is usually not much of an event for kids. Generally, they’re back in school already looking forward to the upcoming holiday break just a few weeks away.

In this FamilyBonding Challenge, we’re hoping you’ll make this global day of generosity something the whole family can participate in and be proud of.

Unlike the many unexpected ways we share our values with our kids, how we spend our money is one of the most obvious. From clothing to food to cars to charitable giving, we not only vote with our wallets, we clearly demonstrate what we think is valuable in this world by where we give our money.

For Giving Tuesday 2023, try involving your kids in the process of choosing where you’ll give. Starting this habit when they’re quite young can only be a good thing for the rest of their lives.

Instill a yearly habit of reviewing your values and putting your money where your mouth is. 

There are a couple of topics you’ll need to review with the family before starting to pick your recipients.

1. Discuss why you want to donate money (or your time or household items or whatever it is you’ll be giving).
2. Be clear about your budget. Whether you have $5 per month or $500 per month, every amount is a gift from the heart. Just be clear from the beginning about what you have to work with so every family member knows what the parameters are.
3. Make a list of causes that are important to you. Maybe your five-year-old is particularly concerned with animal welfare. Perhaps your partner is concerned about the state of the unhoused and your teen wants to support better access to clean drinking water in third-world countries. Maybe someone else really wants to do a micro-loan in South America. Whatever the issues are, make a list so everyone has an idea of the scope of interests.
4. From your list of causes, identify which are local, which support a larger community, and which are international. This step isn’t absolutely necessary, but it does give some structure to which causes you’ll eventually choose to support. One from each category is an option. Maybe Giving Tuesday 2023 will be all about local causes focusing on the environment. It’s up to your family to decide, but seeing the scope of potential impact is a great way to broaden everyone’s thinking.
5. With your causes identified, research which specific organizations you want to support. If specific organizations weren’t already known, this can be an excellent research project for older children and teens. CharityNavigator.org is a well-respected site for establishing the legitimacy and efficacy of charity organizations.
6. Make your donations together and celebrate as a family team! Pull out the credit card and put your contributions together. Celebrate what you’ve done as a team and enjoy some of the happiness that comes from giving and maybe some of the four other ways giving is good for you.
7. Do it again next year. Review your values, your most important concerns, and your budget again next year. Try making this family talk a regular tradition, and you’ll not only bring joy to the recipients of your family charity but also have a built-in way for learning about what’s important to your children, what they’re paying attention to in the world, and how you can be an even better family leader, coach, and mentor in the year to come.