Gifts of Giving Tuesday

In the United States, families and friends gather and celebrate being thankful every fourth Thursday in November. Other countries have Thanksgiving holidays or harvest festivals as well. It is a time of focusing on gratitude, blessings, and connecting with our loved ones. Then, at least in the United States, crowds of people wake up early the next morning, or even leave their celebrations early, to go shopping for Black Friday deals. The bargain hunting and purchasing continue with Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. Twelve years ago, “Giving Tuesday” was launched in New York City – with the Tuesday after Thanksgiving designated – as an effort to increase benevolence in the world. That first year, there were over 2,500 nonprofits that participated, and approximately 12 million dollars were raised. Last year, donations on Giving Tuesday reached $3.1 billion in the U.S., and more than 100 countries have their own national Giving Tuesday movements.

Big Ocean Women has been participating in Giving Tuesday for the last several years. Some years have yielded better results than others. As a non-profit with no paid staff, every dollar donated is used to help our WAVEs around the world and keep the organization going. Our volunteer leadership team recognizes that every donation, big or small, is a sacred offering. Many give what may comparatively be small amounts that are truly sacrificial in nature. We also, on occasion, have been gifted large amounts that were literal answers to prayers. We are so thankful for each individual who has donated any amount. There are also opportunities for volunteering your time if that is what you have to offer, and we hope that all of our readers and members and friends know that giving of yourself to serve in your family and community is powerful and valuable.

Giving Tuesday is a focused day for raising money and participating in charitable events. If you itemize your taxes, Big Ocean Women is a 501(c)(3) organization, so your donations are tax deductible. Thanksgiving is a day for focusing on gratitude, but it is psychologically beneficial to take time to be grateful every day. A monthly donation, even if it’s just “the cost of a hamburger” as our own Margo likes to point out, can have a great impact. You may not have $100 to donate on Giving Tuesday, but if you donated $10 a month, your gift would be easier to fit into a budget and more valuable!

This year, as a thank you gift, if you donate $200, or a monthly donation of $15 for the year, we will send you one of these BOW bags that were sewn by the teen mothers trained by our WAVE in Jos, Nigeria.

Alternatively, we have a necklace with handmade beads from our Buwongo, Uganda WAVE that we will send for a one time donation of $300 or a monthly donation of $25 for the year.

As you are planning your gifts this Christmas season, please keep in mind our sisters in WAVEs around that world who will benefit from your generosity. These are some pictures shared from our new WAVE in Ghana! Jemima is the leader, and the WAVE is filled with teen moms or former teen moms that are helping each other out. They will be studying the tenets of Big Ocean Women and learning to recognize their value and abilities then coming up with projects to help their members and community.

Giving Tuesday 2024 is December 3. Please watch our Social Media pages for more information! Your donations are always welcome on our website as well!